GIFT  OF 


DEEDS  OF  DARING 


THE  AMERICAN  SOLDIER 


NORTH   AND  SOUTH 


THRILLING  NARRATIVES  OF 


PERSONAL  ADVENTURE,   EXPLOITS   OF  SCOUTS   AND  SPIES,  FORLORN  HOPES, 

HEROIC  BRAVERY,  PATIENT  ENDURANCE,  IMPRISONMENTS  AND  HAIR  BREADTH 

ESCAPES,  ROMANTIC  INCIDENTS,  HAND  TO  HAND  STRUGGLES,  HUMOROUS 

AND  TRAGIC  EVENTS,  PERILOUS  JOURNEYS,  BOLD  DASHES,  BRILLIANT 

SUCCESSES,  MAGNANIMOUS  ACTIONS,  ETC.,  ON  EACH  SIDE  THE  LINE 


DURING  THE  CIVIL  WAR 


BY  D.  M.  KELSEY, 

Author  of  "Pioneer  Heroes  and  Daring  Deeds-' 


REVISED  EDITION, 


.  THE  SAALFIELD  PUBLISHING  CO. 

NEW  YORK  AKRON,  OHIO  CHICAGO 

1903 


COPYRIGHT,  1883  AND  1886, 
BY  H.  B.  SCAMMEUv. 

COPYRIGHT,  1897, 
BY  THE  WERNER  COMPANY. 


COPYRIGHT,  1901, 
BY  THE  SAAIvFlELD  PUBLISHING  CO. 

Deeds  ol  Dariug 


MADE  BY 

THE  WERNER   COMPANY 

BOOK  MANUFACTURERS 

AKRON,    OHIO 


CHAPTER  I. 

A  PERSE VEKING-  MESSENGER 

The  Dispatch  Bearers — Danger  of  the  Mission — An  Unlucky  Meeting — The  Mes 
senger  Gets  Left — Sent  Back — Another  Start — A  More  Unlucky  Meeting — 
Court-Martialed  by  Guerillas — A  Friend  in  Need — Sent  Back  Again — Irre 
pressible — A  Rendezvous  in  the  Woods — Important  Information — Why  He 
Went  Back— Gives  it  Up 23 

CHAPTER  II. 
PAST  THE  BLOCKADERS. 

Precautions  Before  Leaving  England — An  Uninviting  Yessel  and  Unwilling  Cap 
tain — Chased — Into  the  Jaws  of  Death — And  Out  Again — Followed— A  Per 
sistent  Enemy — But  Bad  Marksmanship — No  Shots  in  Reply — Nothing  to 
Shoot— The  Blockaders  Get  Tired— And  the  Rebs  Get  a  Rest 30 

CHAPTER  III. 
ZOUAVES  ON  A  SCOUT. 

Ready  to  Move — Spoiling  for  a  Fight — Reconnoitering — Returning — Three  to  One — 
"  We'll  Back  You  " — A  Surprise — A  Skedaddle — A  Brisk  Engagement — A 
Rapid  Retreat — The  Spoils  of  the  Battle — Caring  for  the  Wounded — Another 
Surprise — A  Strong  Position — A  Desperate  Defense — A  Hand-to-Hand  En 
counter — Terrible  Odds — Every  Man  for  Himself — Help  Comes  Too  Late — 
Marks  of  the  Fight 41 

CHAPTER  IY. 

THE  ENEMY'S  SECRETS, 

Lieut.  Pelouze  and  His  Friend — Interview  with  the  President — On  to  Richmond 
— In  the  Confederate  War  Department — The  Token — A  Vengeful  Woman — 
Trapped — The  Spy's  Escape — Leave  of  Absence — Ribbons  and  Photographs 
— "We  Did  It!" — Green  Fields  and  Pastures  New — A  Friendly  Enemy — 
Gen.  Grant's  Opinion— A  Scouting  Adventure 55 

CHAPTER  Y. 
CAUGHT  A  TARTAR. 

A  Reconnoissance — A  Hard  Road  to  Travel — Surprised — Surrender  of  Arms — His 
Captors  Get  His  Ammunition  and  He  Gets  His  Liberty 69 

CHAPTER  VI. 
A  SCOUT  TO  BALTIMORE. 

Necessity  for  Information — Obliging  Videttes — A  Successful  Ruse — An  Unexpected 


1 1 


viii  Contents. 

Guest,  Who  Finds  Himself  in  a  Hornet's  Nest,  But  Doesn't  Get  Stung — A  Cor 
dial  Keception — Attentions  from  the  Officer  of  the  Day— Danger  Ahead — Get 
ting  the  Countersign — A  Drunken  Officer,  "Who  Speedily  Sobers  Off — A 
Changed  Home — Trustworthy  (?)  Messengers — A  Deserved  Fate— A  Friendly 
Chat,  That  Ends  Unpleasantly— Crossing  the  River — The  Enemy  Alarmed- 
Pursuit — Vexation  of  the  Pursuers — The  Pursued  Triumphant 74 

CHAPTEE  VII. 
ZAGONYI'S  FAMOUS  CHARGE. 

Fremont — Zagonyi — Fremont's  Body  Guard — A  Kid-Gloved  Brigade — The  Prairie 
Scouts — Valuable  Information — Strength  and  Disposition  of  the  Confederates — 
"Fremont  and  the  Union" — The  Valley  of  Death — Zagonyi's  Attack — Retreat 
of  the  Enemy— A  Determined  Foe— His  Fate— The  Fight  Ended — Not  a  Kid- 
Gloved  Brigade 85 

CHAPTEE  VIII. 
A  VENTURESOME  VENTURE. 

Too  Venturesome  for  a  Leader — A  Good  Chance — In  Ambush — A  Disappointed 
Party — A  Slim  Chance — A  Woman  in  the  Case — A  Desperate  State  of  Affairs 
— A  Golden  Opportunity — That  Proves  to  be  Less  Golden — A  Division  is 
Brought  Out — Capture  of  the  Scouts — Exchange T 95 

CHAPTEE  IX. 
GARFIELD'S  DISPATCH  BEARER. 

Marshall's  Invasion  of  Kentucky — Disposition  of  the  Federal  Forces — John  Jor 
dan — The  Precious  Bullet — Summoned  to  Surrender — A  Wild  Break  for  Lib 
erty — Answering  the  Owl — Pursued  and  Treed — A  Lucky  Misstep — The  Er 
rand  Done — Dangers  of  the  Return  Journey — The  Result — Garfield's  Reward 
— John  Jordan's  Reward 104 

CHAPTEE  X. 
THE  GREAT  RAILWAY  RAID. 

The  Georgia  State  Railroad — The  Backbone  of  the  Confederacy — Going  South — 
Twenty  Minutes  for  Breakfast — An  Unlocked  for  Interruption — A  Ridiculous 
Race — Cutting  the  Telegraph  Wire — Beauregard's  Powder — A  Dangerous  Delay 
—The  Reason  For  It— A  Fatal  Mistake — First  Signs  of  Pursuit — The  Race  Ex 
plained — Leaping  Over  the  Obstructions — The  Impossible  is  Done — Unsuccess 
ful  Ruses— A  New  Danger— A  Ray  of  Hope — The  Engineer's  Plan — The  Cap 
tain's — The  Pursuit  on  Foot — Captured — Escape  of  Captain  Andrews — Re 
capture—His  Fate — Fate  of  His  Companions — A  Daring  Escape — The  Presi 
dent's  Praise— The  Missing 119 

CHAPTEE  XI. 
A  SOLITARY  SCOUT. 

His  Errand — In  the  Enemy's  Country — A  Cordial  Reception — A  Mistaken  Crowd — 
Cool  Impudence — The  Gunboats  for  Land  Use — A  Yankee  Trick — Decidedly 
Brilliant— A  Horse  in  Church— A  Scared  Justice — A  Friendly  Warning — 
Asleep  in  the  Storm— In  a  New  Role — The  Guest  of  a  Regiment — An  Unsuc 
cessful  Attempt — Pursued  by  Bloodhounds— Running  Water — A  Novel  Bed— 


Contents.  ix 

A  Dusky  Friend— A  Feast— A  Horse  and  Buggy  Impressed — Arrived  in  Style 
—Safe  in  Camp » 4 139 

CHAPTER  XII. 
STRINGFELLOW  AGAINST  ODDS. 

A  Small-sized  Raid — Posting  the  Force — A  Bearer  of  Dispatches — Disobedience  of 
Orders — An  Alarming  State  of  Affairs — The  Biter  Bit — Injured  Innocence — An 
Indignant  Prisoner— Something  Wrong— The  Prisoner  Refuses  to  be  Released 
— Between  Two  Fires — A  Strong  Temptation — Resisted — A  Sudden  Revelation 
— A  Little  Battle  —  A  Surrender  and  Skedaddle — Astonishing  the  Pickets — A 
Race — A  Battle  of  Larger  Forces — Retreat  of  the  Confederates— Taking  Stock 
of  the  Spoils — He  Called  Himself  a  Fool — And  Nobody  Contradicted  Him.,156 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
CAPTURING  A  CAPTAIN. 

A  Ghostly  Visitor — Investigations — A  Woman  in  the  Case — Trooly  Loil — A  Sus 
picious  Officer — Determined  to  Find  it  Out — He  Finds  it  Out — But  Gets  Lost 
Himself. 167 

CHAPTER  XIY. 
A  SOUTHERN  HEROINE. 

A  Woman's  Weapon — A  Reason  for  Refusing  a  Pass — Which  Was  Not  Appre 
ciated —  A  Gallant  Enemy — A  Post  of  Vantage  —  She  Heard  Their  Plans  — 
A  Midnight  Ride — Almost  Caught — Safe  Again — An  Enemy  Not  Whipped 
Out  of  His  Boots 171 

CHAPTER  XV. 
A  SPY'S  ADVENTURE. 

The  Spy — His  Work  Done — Leaving  the  Camp — Hunting  the  Boat — A  Vain  Search 
— His  Character  Suspected  in  Camp — Pursued — Bloodhounds — The  Stream — 
Nearly  Caught— The  Dog's  Fate— The  Spy's  Escape 181 

CHAPTER  XYI. 
ESCAPING  THE  DEATH-PENALTY. 

At  Lexington — A  Violated  Parole — Alton  Penitentiary — Solitary  Confinement — 
A  Mysterious  Door — The  Mystery  Solved — Difficulties  of  the  Undertaking — 
The  Tunnel — A  Friendly  Boatman — Alarmed — Puzzled  Guards — A  Generous 
Comrade — Final  Escape 188 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
NOT  QUITE. 

Federal  Vengeance — The  Confederates  Take  a  Hand — Drawing  Lots  for  Life — A 
Little  More  Time— His  Turn  Comes— A  Flight  Through  the  Darkness— A 
Grisly  Hiding-Place — A  Friend  in  Need — A  Familiar  Voice — Ready  to  Sell 
His  Life  Dearly— Nobody  Wants  to  Buy— Not  Quite  a  Dead  Man 201 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
A  DAPvING  CAPTURE. 

The  Prince  George  Cavalry — An  Enterprise  of  Privates — Betrayed  by  a  Dog — The 


x  Contents. 

Arrest — To  McClellan's  or  Lee's  Headquarters  ?— The  Captor's  Prefer  to  Go  to 
Lee's— Effect  on  the  Crew 214 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
CAPTAIN  LIGHTNING'S  TKICKS. 

Morgan's  Kentucky  Raid — One  of  His  Assistants — Reason  for  the  Nickname — A 
Good  Beginning — A  Strange  Coincidence — A  Practical  Joke — Lebanon — A 
Vanished  Operator— A  Bet  Won— And  Information  Gained — An  Astonished 
Operator — An  Important  Message— The  Enemy  Knew  Too  Much— But  Not 
for  Long  —  A  Missing  Instrument  —  An  Alarmed  Operator — Embarrassing 
Questions — Unsatisfactory  Answers — Telling  the  Truth  Does  No  Harm — A 
Prudent  Operator—"  Fixing  Up  a  Plan  to  Capture  Morgan" — A  Sharp  Repri 
mand — An  Astonishing  Statement — The  Signature  Explained — General  Orders 
No.  1— No  More  Such  Work— Ellsworth's  Invention 219 

CHAPTER  XX. 
A  WONDERFUL  RIDE. 

Self  Praise  is  Half  Scandal — An  Enemy's  Generosity — Charge  on  the  Battery — A 
Cannoneer's  Resolve — Saving  a  Gun — Five  Hundred  Bullets — The  Mark  Tin- 
hit— Cheered  by  the  Enemy— Safe 231 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
A  GENERAL'S  ESCAPE. 

Manassas  or  Bull  Run — Hunting  for  Troops — An  Unexpected  Meeting — A  Trio  of 
Stragglers — Who  Exchanged  Opinions — One  is  Suspected — They  Had  Better 
Have  Let  Him  Go— A  Surprised  Federal 237 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
A  PAIR  OF  FORAGERS. 

They  Want  Their  Breakfast— How  They  Got  It— A  Traitorous  Hostess— Pursued— 
Close  Quarters — A  Narrow  Escape — Detected — A  Good  Thing  for  the  Com 
mand 241 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

RESCUING  A  COMRADE.     . 

Infantry  Curiosity — Cavalry  Disgust — Moral  of  the  Story — Attack  on  the  Train--- 
The  Charge — Repulsed  —  Harper's  Perilous  Position — A  Generous  Offer — A 
Warm  Meeting  —  Safe — A  Close  Shave — A  Frank  Confession — A  Second 
Charge,  and  Its  Result 246 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

SECRET  SERVICE. 

A  Mysterious  Order — The  Man  Needed — Explanation  of  the  Order — Disappear, 
ance  of  the  Soldier— Sudden  Appearance  of  the  Quaker — Interviewing  the 
Picket — Distributing  Tracts  and  Examining  Fortifications — An  Innocent  Note 
— With  Much  Meaning— An  Unlucky  Meeting — The  Quaker  Disappears — The 
Kind  of  Tracts  He  Meant — Suspicions  Verified — News  to  Gen.  Bragg— A 
Fine  Old  Country  Gentleman— And  Equally  Fine  Old  Whisl-y— Gea. 


Contents.  xi 

Intentions — Tom  Sees  the  Joke — Delay — Dangerous  Proximity — Allaying  Sus 
picion — A  Narrow  Escape — A  Second  Mysterious  Order 256 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
ONE  OF  MOSBY'S  KAIDS. 

Affairs  at  Fairfax  Court-House — Disposing  of  the  Pickets — The  Meaning  of  It — 
Prisoners  and  Booty — A  Narrow  Escape — Different  Statements 271 

CHAPTER  XXYI. 

AN  ADVENTURE  OF  PAULINE  CUSHMAN. 

otartling  Advice — The  Toast — Effect  on  the  Audience — "  Banished  South  " — Her 
Wanderings — Securing  a  Disguise — Setting  Out — A  Camp  Fire — Friends  or 
Foes? — Foes — Betrayed — Pursued — The  Wounded  Federal— Help — Captured— 
./-Scaring  Her  Captors — Escape — After  Adventures 275 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
A  DARING  RESCUE. 

i.  Mysterious  Hero — Seeking  Danger — Stirring  News — Friends  in  Peril — Recon- 
noissance — The  Journey — A  False  Alarm — Outside  the  Jail — In  the  Jail — Keys 
of  the  Cells — A  Single-Handed  Attack — The  Keys  Secured — Release  of  the 
Prisoners— Retreat— Pursuit  Eluded 290 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A  PRISONER'S  NEWS. 

i  Friendly  Chat — An  Unwilling  Listener — Exciting  Tidings — His  Resolve — Cir 
cumstances  Favoring  His  Escape — His  Departure — Asking  Aid — The  Guide- 
Progress  Under  Difficulties— The  End  of  the  Journey— What  Was  Saved. ..300 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
A  BLOCKADE-RUNNER'S  FATE. 

A  Volunteer  Messenger  —  The  Captain  at  Last — A  Tempting  Prize  —  Yankee 
Shrewdness — Outnumbered,  but  Victorious — A  Collection  of  Johnnies— De 
struction  of  the  Cooper — A  Hundred  Men  to  the  Rescue — Only  They  Didn't 
Get  There— The  Penalty  of  Being  Good-Looking 309 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
CAPTURE  AND  ESCAPE  OF  MORGAN. 

The  Partisan — The  "Marion  of  the  West"— Different  Opinions — Reason  for  Raid 
— First  Triumph— Called  Back — Second  Start — In  Kentucky — Capt.  Hines' 
Scout — A  Warm  Reception — Marauding — General  Scare — Rapid  Marching — 
High  Water — Lessening  the  Force — Surrender  of  Morgan  with  Remnant  of 
Command — Securing  the  Prisoners — Ohio  Penitentiary — "  Old  Man  Hevay" — 
The  Prisoners  Ride  the  Guard's  Hobby — The  Tunnel  Begun — A  Second  Guard 
Taken  in  by  Flattery — Reconnoissance  Made  Possible — A  Prize  in  the  Shape 
of  a  Spade — Tunneling — Necessity  for  Haste — A  Brother's  Devotion — Outside 
the  Penitentiary — Was  There  Collusion — A  Traveling  Companion— The  Es 
cape — Discovered — Morgan's  Death 321 


xii  Contents. 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
A  PERILOUS  JOURNEY. 

Necessity  for  the  Trip — Volunteers — The  Extra  Tallow  Cans — Running  the  Batter 
ies — Pursuit — The  Obstacles — Useless  Efforts — The  Fireman's  Plan — Oiling  the 
Track— Pursuit  Baffled— Escape— Delivery  of  the  Dispatches 342 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
A  CRIPPLED  MESSENGER. 

The  Siege  of  Vicksburg — Caps  and  Dispatches  to  be  Carried  in — Departure — A 
Pleasing  Sight — Past  the  Pickets — Loss  of  Crutch  and  Horse — A  Canoe — On 
the  River  Among  the  Enemy's  Gunboats — A  Lazy  Fisherman — Passing  the 
Federal  Guns — Failing  Strength — In  Vicksburg — Return — Finds  a  Horse — A 
Forager — An  Unreliable  Guide — A  Cautious  Enemy — A  Lucky  Find — De 
livers  his  Dispatches 353 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
IN  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP. 

The  Scout's  Fate— His  Successor — The  Errand  Stated— Setting  Out — Precautions — 
A  Friendly  Greeting — A  Ready-made  Disguise — A  Guide  Provided — The 
Countersign — The  Sentry  Disposed  of— A  Struggle — A  Council  of  War — An 
Uninvited  Member— A  Wide-awake  Sentry — Discovered— "No,  You  Don't!" 
—"Tallahassee,  Tallahassee !"— The  Chase— Escape— The  Result 362 

CHAPTER  XXXIY. 
"KILDEE"  AND  HIS  FRIEND. 

The  "Birds "—Within  the  Enemy's  Lines— An  Unexpected  Obstacle— Difficulties 
of  the  Case — An  Inquiring  Mind — Satisfied — A  Mad  Ride — The  Chase — Cap 
tured  —  "Shall  We  Stretch  Legs  or  Hemp?"— "Let  Her  Roll,  Gallagher"  — 
They  Roll 372 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

AN  ESCAPE  FROM  LIBBY. 

Defying  Search — Resolution  to  Escape — Opinion  of  Others — A  Companion — An 
Unsuccessful  Plan — Another  Mode  Proposed — Mystifying  their  Comrades — 
Passing  the  Guards — At  the  Rendezvous — A  Keen-eyed  Stranger — The  Source 
of  Help— At  the  Picket  Post 378 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
A  DANGEROUS  MISSION. 

Necessity  for  Trusty  Messenger — Col.  Baker  Volunteers — Dispatches  Delivered — 
Danger  Ahead — Worse  and  More  of  It — The  Whole  Confederate  Army — A 
Break  in  the  Column — Dashes  Through — Pursued — Difficulties — Stratagem — 
Success — A  Close  Contest — Bull  Run — The  Stream  is  Crossed — Escape  of 
Messenger 387 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

A  BREAK  FOR  LIBERTY. 
The  Old  Prison— Efforts  to  Escape— Col.  Rose's  Tunnel— A  False  Alarm— Hor- 


Contents.  xiii 

rors  of  the  "Dead  Cellar" — Capt.  Moran  Finds  the  Passage— The  Entrance  to 
the  Tunnel — Comrades— Into  the  Upper  Air  Again — Out  of  the  City— Pur 
sued — Separation — The  Swamp-r-Surrounded — A  Dash  for  Liberty — Into  the 
Enemy's  Arms — Back  to  Libby ,.,,„ 397 

CHAPTEE  XXXVIII. 
ADVENTURES  OF  AN  ARTFUL  DODGER 

The  Scout's  Errand — His  Force — Mode  of  Proceeding— A  Bivouac  in  the  Woods 
— Salt  Mule  and  Sheet-Iron  Crackers — A  Rude  Awakening — "Let  Me  Dream 
Again" — Not  So  Fast  Asleep  as  the  Enemy  Thought— Flight— Surrounded 
— Concealed — Discovered — The  Difficulty  of  Riding  a  Mule — Where  is  He? 
—Nowhere— Safe , 411 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 
CAPTURING  A  PARTISAN. 

The  Partisan's  Record — Efforts  to  Take  Him— A  Discovery — Pursuit  by  Two 
Men — A  Rough  Road — A  Cold  Bath  and  Its  Results — Dashing  Onward — The 
Scent  Lost — Another  Finds  It — The  Capture — Return — Value  of  the  Prisoners 
— The  Captor's  Surprise.  , 422 

CHAPTEE  XL. 
COL.  MENEFEE'S  RIDE  FOR  LIFE. 

The  Partisans  and  their  Outfit— A  Skirmish  in  the  Woods — Federal  Reinforce 
ments — Retreat  of  Confederates — Pursuit — The  Mountain  Side— For  the  Sake 
of  One  of  His  Men— A  Steep  Descent— A  Dash  Down  It 427 

CHAPTEE  XLI. 

DAHLGREN'S  RAID. 

The  Object — Difference  of  Opinion — Organization  of  the  Force — Dahlgren's  Rec 
ord — Departure — A  Heavy  Storm  —  Failure  to  Co-operate — Skirmish  near 
Richmond — The  Retreat — Crossing  the  Stream — Movements  of  the  Confeder 
ates—The  Ambush  in  the  Woods — Death  of  Col.  Dahlgren — Action  of  the 
Confederate  Government 432 

CHAPTEE  XLII. 
ADVENTURE  OF  FORAGERS. 

Relaxing  Discipline — Three  Foragers — A  Promising  Barn — Captured — A  Council 
of  War — Ten  Minutes  to  Pray  In — They  Prefer  to  Pray  Somewhere  Else 
— A  Race  and  an  Interested  Spectator — Who  Soon  Has  a  Race  of  His  Own — 
Escape — Revenge , 442 

CHAPTEE  XLIII. 
DOWN  HILL. 

Sheridan's  Instructions — Why  the  Feds  Withdrew— The  Colonel's  Horse — Hunt 
ing  a  Captor — Under  the  Tree — Willing  to  be  Plucked— No  Orderly  There 
— The  Colonel's  Guard — The  Adjutant— An  Affecting  Story — A  Halt— In  the 
Shadow— Obligingly  Forgetful— Rolling  Down  the  Hill — An  Alarming  Bugle 
—Doubt— Yankee  Doodle— With  Friends ,..„.. 448 


xiv  .  Contents. 

CHAPTER  XLIY, 
A  CAPTIVE  TIGER. 

Situation  of  the  Armies — Lee's  Invasion  of  Pennsylvania — Battle  of  Gettysburg 
—The  Tiger  Caught— The  Tiger  Caged— Life  at  Tort  Delaware— Two  Souls 
with  but  a  Single  Thought — The  Life  Preservers — The  Galvanized — Under 
the  Carpenter-Shop  —  An  Indulgent  Sentry  —  The  Iron-Glads  Tested — Suc 
cess 460 

CHAPTER  XLY. 
A  CHAPLAIN'S  EXPLOIT. 

Left  Behind — Sympathy  for  the  Sick — Real  Sympathy — A  Mad  Undertaking — 
Ridiculed  by  Comrades — Determined  to  Go — The  Preparations  of  a  Non-Com 
batant — Approaches  the  Enemy's  Stronghold — "  Who  Goes  There ! " — An  Unex 
pected  Friend — Passing  the  Enemy's  Pickets — Reaching  the  Hospital — The  De 
serted  Mansion— The  Sick  Soldier— A  Sad  Sight—"  I  Have  Come  to  Take  You 
to  Camp,  Billy"  — Challenged  — A  Close  Shave— Through  the  Darkness  — 
Safe  at  Last 473 

CHAPTER  XLYI. 
LIEUT.  BAILEY'S  EXPERIENCE. 

Siege  of  Atlanta— A  Mission  of  Danger — A  Determined  Charge — A  Firm  Re 
sistance — Captured — A  Drunken  Captor — "  Fall  in,  Prisoners  " — An  Effort  to 
Escape  —  Retaken  —  The  Bivouac  —  Buried  Alive  —  The  Grave — Waiting  — 
Resurrection— A  Friend — More  Friends — In  the  "Quarters" — Jim — Setting 
Out— A  Young  Scout — Who  Proves  Unreliable — "Tie-Tickets"  on  the  Rail 
road — Worn-out — Disappointment — Rest — A  Sleepy  Sentinel — Recaptured — 
Forebodings  of  Evil— Two  Tete-a-tetes—A.  Plan— A  Good  Place  to  Die  In— 
The  Funeral  Arranged — Two  Minutes  to  Pray — A  Leap  for  Life — The  Pursuit 
— Wounded — A  Friend  in  Need — Return  Home 485 

CHAPTER  XLYII. 

VISITING  HOME  UNDER  DIFFICULTIES. 

A  Disappointment  to  Begin  With — Determined  to  Go — Reluctance  of  Officer — 
The  Union  Men  of  Tennessee — Tinker  Dave  Beatty — Tricking  the  Feder 
als — Capt.  Guild's  Plan — A  Friend — Dangers  of  the  Attempt — "Our"  Men — 
In  Sight  of  Home  —  Reception — Departure— Fate  of  His  Comrades — With 
Friends 506 

CHAPTER  XLYIII. 
CAPTURED  BY  MOSBY. 

Congratulations — Spencer  Rifles — Congratulations  Postponed — Col.  Mosby — The 
Auction — A  Disgusted  Darkey — Mosby's  Defense  of  His  Men — On  to  Rich 
mond — The  Bivouac — Plans  for  Escape — A  Charming  View — A  Slim  Chance 
— Scarce  of  Horses — A  Successful  Ruse — "  Now's  the  Time,  Boys" — A  Sudden 
Melee— The  Enemy  Scattered— The  Fligbt^Concealment— Why  Wash  Went 
for  the  Corn — Why  He  Hurried  Back — "Looking  Out  For  Yanks" — Find 
ing  Them 517 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 

ARRESTING  A  SMUGGLER. 

Reasons  for  the  Trade — The  Efforts  of  the  Police — The  Military  Authorities — 


Contents.  ,»v  xv 

Going  it  Alone — A  Green  Soldier — A  Surly  Sailor — A  Fine  Boat — The  Arrest 
—A  Combat  of  Will— He  Concludes  to  Surrender— The  Lumber  Yard— Com 
pletely  Vanquished 634 

CHAPTEE  L. 
TWO  OF  THE  BLACK  HORSE  CAVALRY. 

Organization  of  the  Corps — Circumstances  of  One  Adventure — The  Price  of  Liq 
uor—Honor  Pledged — "  As  Easy  as  Lying  " — A  Part  of  the  Price — The  Rest 
of  It — An  Important  Prisoner — Gen.  Stuart's  Gallantry  Tested— He  Sees  the 
Joke — The  Corps  Disbanded 541 

CHAPTEE  LI. 

DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  ALBEMARLE. 

Torpedoes — The  Albemarle  —  Lieut.  Cushing's  Plan— The  Expedition — Precau 
tions  Adopted — The  Journey — Defenses  of  the  Ram — The  Attack — Confusion 
— The  Launch  —  Disabled — Federals  Captured — Lieut.  Cushing's  Narrow  Es 
cape — Senseless  on  the  Shore — Hears  of  His  Own  Death — Creeping  Away — 
Difficulties — The  Swamp  Road — An  Astonished  Darkey — A  Satisfactory  Re 
port — A  Prize — Floating  Dov/n  the  Roanoke — Perplexed  Marines — A  Surprise 
— Honor  Claimed  by  Another  Man — The  Claim  Disproved 550 

CHAPTEE  LII. 

CONFEDERATES  IN  SHERIDAN'S  CAMP. 

Necessity  for  Information  —  The  Party  —  "One  of  Blazer's  Scouts" — A  Sleepy 
Picket — The  End  Accomplished — Another  Trip — Confederate  Votes  for  Lin 
coln —  Issuing  Orders  to  a  Federal  Officer — Blazer's  Scouts  in  Reality— A 
Hot  Pursuit — Taking  the  Fence — Back  to  His  Men — A  Desperate  Skirmish — 
After  Events 562 

CHAPTEE  LILT. 
AN  ESCAPE  FROM  A  TRAIN. 

The  Road — Removal  of  Prisoners — Carelessness  of  Guards — Heavy  Rain — Escape 
— Escape  Discovered — Pursued — Baffling  the  Bloodhounds — The  Swamp — A 
Great  Loss — Helped  by  the  Negroes — A  Scare — An  Unexpected  Friend — Re 
inforcements —  Hope  Deferred  —  A  Surprise — A  Battle — Flight — Alone  and 
Hopeless— Friends — Counting  the  Loss — Safe 573 

CHAPTEE  LIV. 
A  RAID  FOR  HORSES. 

A  Mount  Wanted— A  Chance  to  Get  One— Bad  Weather— "A  Thrifle  Nearer  " 
— A  Little  Too  Near — Success — A  Brick — A  Charge  and  a  Chase — A  Fall  on 
the  Ice — Another  Prisoner — Riding  Double — An  Affecting  (?)  Farewell — Bad 
Luck— A  Call  on  the  Ladies— War  Toilets— The  Dinner  They  Missed— The 
Dinner  They  Didn't  Miss — A  Good  Time — A  Rude  Awakening — Captured — 
Well  Guarded—"  Good  Night  "—A Prearranged  Signal— "He  Hasn't  Escaped, 
But  He's  Going  To" — And  He  Does — Chasing  a  Riderless  Horse — The  Rider 
Escapes  on  Foot — Gen.  Sherman's  Opinion  on  Horses  and  a  Soldier's  Mode  of 
Procuring  Them 583 


xv  i  Contents, 

CHAPTEE  LV. 

CAPTUKE  AND  FLIGHT  OF  THE  CORRESPONDENTS. 
The  Newspaper  Man — Running  the  Confederate  Batteries  at  Yieksburg — Cap 
tured — Libby — Plans  to  Escape — Castle  Thunder — Salisbury — Hurry  Up — 
Change  in  Management — A  Forged  Pass — Another  Plan — An  Apologetic 
Guard— Past  the  Outer  Guards  —  Prudent  Halt  —  The  Gray  Mare—  Cold 
"Weather— Sable  Friends— Losing  the  Way  — "The  Old  United  States"  — 
"Nobody  Ever  Gits  Thar"  — The  March  Across  the  Mountains— Dan  Ellis, 
the  Famous  Guide — Generous  Enemies — Danger  Threatens — A  Pretty  Guide 
—The  Federal  Pickets..... , 598 

CHAPTEE  LYI. 
THE-  INSANITY  DODGE. 

Necessary  Precautions — Have  You  Seen  a  Horse — A  Second  Meeting — A  Well 
Played  Part — An  Unsuccessful  Search — Delivery  of  Dispatches 617 

CHAPTEE  LYII. 
WHEELER'S  CAYALRY  ESCAPADES. 

Stage  of  the  War  —  Gen.  Wheeler's  Determination — A  Companion— Swimming 
the  Peedee  —  An  Uninvited  Comrade  —  An  Earnest  Appeal  —  A  Borrowed 
Name — "  Sam.  Johnson" — A  Hearty  Welcome — Sam's  Bashfulness — A  Sud 
den  Alarm — Unfounded  Anxiety — "Scare  'em  out  of  their  Boots" — Signs  of 
the  Enemy — The  Bugler — Retreat  of  the  Enemy — Incidents  of  the  Pursuit — 
Advance  of  Gen.  Hampton ." 622 

CHAPTEE  LVIII. 
DESTROYING  THE  ENEMY'S  STORES. 

The  Deserter's  Information — Wouldn't  Be  Outdone  —  The  Invitation  Accepted — 
The  Departure  from  Camp  —  Pompoy's  Distrust — At  the  Point  Threatened — 
Access  to  the  House — Enemies  Near  —  Caution  —  The  Powder  Securely  Dis 
posed  of — A  Sudden  Attack  —  A  Desperate  Struggle — Yictory — Rapid  Re 
treat— Pompey's  Dismay 632 

CHAPTEE  LIX* 
CAPTURING-  TWO  GENERALS. 

An  Attractive  Idea — Cumberland  —  How  They  Got  the  Countersign — Gathering 
in  the  Reserve  —  "  Scouts  from  New  Creek  "  —  No  Time  for  Ceremony — A 
Faithful  Servant—"  Sent  Out  to  Reconnoiter  " — Necessity  for  Haste — Pursued 
With  Prisoners — Recognition  of  Services 644 


CHAPTEE  LX. 
A  NARROW  ESCAPE. 

A  Couple  of  Deserters — The  Court-Martial's  Finding — Preparations  for  the  Exe 
cution —  An  Impressive  Scene — "Shoulder  Arms!"  —  Baltimore  Telegraph 
Office— A  Delayed  Dispatch— "  For  Mr.  Lincoln's  Sake" — By  Way  of  New 
York  and  Chicago— To  Harper's  Ferry— Just  in  Time— Pardoned. .,...,..661 


Contents.  xvii 

CHAPTEE  LXI. 
DETERMINED  TO  ESCAPE. 

A  Spirited  Engagement — A  Victory  Barren  of  Trophies — Disposition  of  the  Pris 
oners — Prison  Pastimes — Base  Ball — "Opinions  of  the  Press" — Better  Sport — 
Efforts  to  Escape — Tunneling — Failure — A  Drunken  Driver — Almost  Free — 
Kecaptured— A  Daring  Plan — Scaling  the  Parapet — He  Escapes— Almost  in 
Canada — Betaken  by  Farmers — Spirit  Broken — Spirit  Gets  Mended — Busy  at 
Work — A  Wonderful  Achievement — "  An  Escape  Planned  "—Guards  Doub 
led — Strict  Examination — Review  of  Inspecting  Party — Discovery  of  Prison 
er  among  Them — A  Sensible  and  Generous  Officer — Remanded  to  Prison — 
How  He  Was  Freed ....660 


HIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE. 

THE  DISPATCH-BEARER'S  STRATEGY,     .        Full  Page,  Frontispiece. 
"You'RE  A  YANKEE  SPY,"  ....  26 

PURSUED  AND  PURSUER  FAST  AGROUND,         .          Full  Page,     38 
A  HEADLONG  PURSUIT,       .....  45 

THE  FIGHT  ON  KELLEY'S  ISLAND,       .  .  Full  Page,     52 

THE  SPY'S  INTERVIEW  WITH  UNCLE  ABE,  .  .  56 

THE  BOGUS-  PRIEST,      ......        60 

"  SPIES  !  SPIES  !  YANKEE  SPIES  !"  ...  68 

CATCHING  A  TARTAR,  72 

"MINE  ISN'T/'         ......  82 

MAJOR  ZAGONYI,  ......         86 

CHARGE  OF  FREMONT'S  BODY  GUARD,       .  .      Full  Page,     90 

ATTACK  ON  ZAGONYI,  ......        93 

"  THERE'S  ONLY  FOUR  OF  THEM  !"  .  .     Full  Page,  100 

A  PIECE  OF  WORK  TO  BE  DONE,        ....       106 

"WHO!  WHO!  WHO!"  THE  FEATHERLESS  OWL,  .  113 

TREED,  BUT  NOT  CAUGHT  YET,        ....         114 

THE  STEED,  BUT  NOT  THE  MAN,  .  .  .  117 

CUTTING  THE  TELEGRAPH  WIRES,     .  .  .  .         122 

THE  PURSUIT,        .....       Full  Page,  126 

ESCAPED  PRISONERS  CAPTURED  WITH  BLOODHOUNDS,  Full  Page,  134 
A  HORSE  IN  CHURCH,       .....  143 

"  Hi,  UNCLE  ?"  ......        150 

"  STOP  A  MINUTE,  WON'T  YOU  ?"    .  .  .  .  152 

THE  SCOUT,     .....  Full  Page,  154 

FOUR  TO  ONE,        ......  160 

"WHY  DO  YOU  WEAR  MEN'S  BOOTS?"  .  .  .         169 

"  HER  VERY  LIFE  SEEMED  CENTERED  IN  HER  EARS,"      .  174 

THE  URGENT  MIDNIGHT  MESSAGE,   ....         177 

THE  SPY  AND  THE  BLOODHOUND,  .  .       Full  Page,  186 

DIAGRAM  OF  ESCAPE  OF  FIFTY  CONFEDERATE  PRISONERS  FROM 
OLD  ALTON  PENITENTIARY,  ....  194 

A  SOUTHERN  UNDERGROUND  EOUTE,  .  .  .        197 

xviii 


List  of  Illustrations.  xix 

DRAWING  LOTS  TOR  THE  DEATH-PENALTY,       .         Full  Page,  204 
A  MEAN  YANKEE  TRICK,       .....        208 

A  GRISLY  HIDING-PLACE,  .  .  ,  ,  210 

BOARDING  THE  VESSEL,          .  .  .  .  .        216 

"Do  AS  I  TELL  YOU  AT  ONCE,"  „  .  .  224 

BULL  EUN  BATTLE-FIELD,      .  .  .  .  .  /      232 

THE  CANNONEER'S  EIDE,  .  „  .       Full  Page,  934 

TURNING  THE  TABLES,  .....        239 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  SIGNALS,  ....  242 

QUICK  WORK,  ......        244 

A  CAVALRY  CHARGE,        ....       Full  Page,  248 

AN  INFANTRY  CHARGE,          .  .  .  Full  Page,  249 

EESCUING  A  COMRADE,      .....  255 

GEN.  EARL  VAN  DORN,          .....        260 

VAN  DORN  AND  THE  QUAKER,     .  261 

"  WHAT  DOES  THIS  MEAN,  SIR  ?"  .  .  .         273 

PAULINE  CUSHMAN,  .....  276 

A  MIDNIGHT  VISITOR,  .  279 

GUERILLAS  IN  CAMP,          ....      Full  Page,  282 

NEARING  THE  CHASM,  .....        285 

EESCUING  THE  CONDEMNED  SCOUTS,          .  .      Full  Page,  296 

PASSING  THE  BATTERIES  AT  VICKSBURG,     .  Full  Page,  304 

SEEKING  A  GUIDE,  .....  306 

"  LEAVE  YOUR  ADDRESS,  POMP,"        ....        310 

"  WE  ARE  ALL  GENUINE  JOHNNIES,"        .  .  .  316 

BURNING  THE  BLOCKADE-EUNNER,      .  .  Full  Page,  318 

GEN.  JOHN  H.  MORGAN,  .  322 

MORGAN'S  EAIDERS,      ....  Full  Page,  328 

HARASSED  EAIDERS,          .....  332 

THE  ESCAPE,  ......        340 

EUNNING  THE  GAUNTLET,  .  .  .       Full  Page,  346 

OILING  THE  TRACK,  .  351 

"LlKE  A  SHOT  PAST  THE  PICKET,"  .  .  355 

PASSING  THE  PORT-HOLES,  ....         359 

GIVING  THE  COUNTERSIGN,  .  .  366 

THE  STRUGGLE  WITH  THE  SENTRY,  .  .        368 

PEERING  INTO  THE  TENT,  ...»  369 

FIRING  THE  EOCKETS,  .  370 

"ANYTHING  BUT  CAPTURE,"          ....  374 

LIBBY  PRISON,  .  .  .  .  .  .        379 

PASSING  THE  GUARD,        .'.••'..  382 

2 


xx  List  of  Illustrations. 

IN  HIDING,              .            .                        .            .            .  385 

A  SHOT  FROM  THE  THICKET,              ....  391 

THE  PICKETS  TAKE  A  HAND,        .  .  .      Full  Page,  394 

THE  PRISONER'S  DREAM  OF  HOME,    .  .  Full  Page,  400 

DIAGRAM  OF  TUNNEL,        ....            .  402 

2N  THE  DEAD  CELLAR,            .....  404 

A  EUDE  AWAKENING,        .....  414 

THE  MULE  CHANGES  His  MIND,        .            .            .            .  418 

A  COLD  BATH,        ......  424 

MENEFEE'S  RIDE,         .  480 

GEN.  N.  B.  FORREST,         .....  431 

GEN.    H.    J.    KlLPATRICK,            .....  433 

CROSSING  THE  RAPIDAN,               ....  434 

COL.  ULRIC  DAHLGREN,          .....  436 

DEATH  OF  DAHLGREN,       ....       Full  Page,  440 

THE  FORAGERS  SURPRISED,    .....  444 

A  BAD  FALL,         ......  449 

EOUGH  ROLLING,          ......  457 

A  CRITICAL  SITUATION,     .....  469 

A  NON-COMBATANT'S  EQUIPMENT,     ....  476 

THE  DESERTED  COMRADE,            .             .             .             .  480 

DASHING  PAST  THE  SENTINEL,          .  .  Full  Page,  483 

THE  BURIAL,          ......  490 

THE  RESURRECTION,    ......  490 

A  SHORT  SHRIFT,              .....  503 

STEALING  BY  THE  PICKETS,    .....  513 

"HALT — SURRENDER!"        .....  519 

COL.  JOHN  S.  MOSBY,             .....  521 

"Now's  THE  TIME,  BOYS  !"  .  .  .       Full  Page,  528 

"  DlD  ANY  OF  YOU  EVER  EAT  ANY  NEGRO?"             .            .  531 

"DON'T  YOU  DARE^TO  DRAW,  SIR  I"         .            .            .  538 

BLACK  HORSE  CAVALRYMAN,             ....  542 

A  REPAST  DISTURBED,  •  .            .             .             .            .  548 

GEN.  J.  E.  B.  STUART,          .....  549 

LIEUT.  W.  B.  GUSHING,                ....  551 

DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  ALBEMARLE,    ....  554 

A  CONCEALED  LISTENER,               ....  557 

MEETING  THE  DARKEY,          .            .            .            ...  559 

BEGUILED  BY  WHISKY,      .....  564 

A  BAD  JUMP,              ....             Full  Page,  570 

HOMEWARD  BOUND,           .....  576 

THE  TOILET,               .            .  589 


List  of  Illustrations.  xxi 

"  SURROUNDED  BY  YANKEES  !"  .  ,  .  591 

THE  SIGNAL— "  BONNIE  BOON/'        4  .  /  .        595 

THE  CATASTROPHE,  .  .          .  .  .     'Full  Page,  602 

CASTLE  THUNDER,       .  .  .  .  .  .        604 

SALISBURY  PRISON,          . .  .  .  .  .  606 

DUSKY  MINISTERING  ANGELS,  .  .  .  .        609 

FUGITIVES  CROSSING  THE  BLUE  EIDGE,  .  .  612 

CAPT.  DAN  ELLIS,      .  .  .  .  .  .614 

THE  INSANE  DODGE,          .....  620 

GEN.  WADE  HAMPTON,  .....        623 

GEN.  JOSEPH  WHEELER,    .....  625 

"  THE  BEST  SINGER  IN  THE  ARMY,"  .  .  .        627 

FOLLOWING  THE  BUGLE,    .....  629 

POMP'S  ANXIETY,         ......        635 

PUTTING  THE  ENEMY  IN  THE  WELL,        .  .      Full  Page,  640 

GETTING  THE  COUNTERSIGN,  ....        646 

THE  EEPRIEVE,       .....      Full  Page,  658 

OLD  CAPITOL  PRISON,  .....        662 

CHANGING  CLOTHES  WITH  THE  DRUNKEN  SOLDIER,        .  665 

STONING  THE  GUARD,  .  667 

"  WHERE'S  YOUR  CARTRIDGE-BOX?"  ,  .  .  670 


DEEDS  OF  DARING  ' "  :,^y,' 

BY 

THE  AMEKICAN  SOLDIER 


A  PERSEVERING-  MESSENGER. 

The  Dispatch  Bearers — Danger  of  the  Mission — An  Unlucky  Meeting — The  Messen 
ger  Gets  Left — Sent  Back — Another  Start — A  More  Unlucky  Meeting — Court- 
martialed  hy  Guerillas — A  Friend  in  Need — Sent  Back  Again — Irrepressible — A 
^Rendezvous  in  the  Woods — Important  Information — Why  He  Went  Back — 
Gives  It  Up. 

~T~T  was  the  night  of  the  21st  of  April,  1861,  when  four  men 
took  their  seats  on  the  train  from  the  National  Capital  to 
Annapolis.  They  held  no  communication  with  each  other,  and 
any  ordinary  observer  would  have  supposed  them  entire  stran 
gers  j  but  this  was  only  an  assumed  manner,  in  order  to  increase 
the  chances  of  doing  the  work  assigned  to  them.  They  were 
Col.  Lander,  Maj.  Welsh,  Mr.  Van  Yalkenburg  and  Commissary 
Patton  of  the  New  York  Seventh  Regiment,  and  were  charged 
with  dispatches  of  importance  from  Gen.  Scott,  then  in  com 
mand  of  the  United  States  Army,  to  Gen.  Butler.  The  mission 
was  fraught  with  peculiar  danger  and  difficulty,  as  so  many  of 
the  Mary  landers  were  ardent  Secessionists;  and  the  Union  men 
could  not,  at  that  early  stage  of  the  war,  tell  readily  what 
chance-met  friend  would  turn  out  a  foe.  But  the  four  with 
whom  we  have  to  deal  thought  they  were  to  be  favored  by  for 
tune  in  this  respect,  as  they  reached  the  Junction  without  any 
one  of  them  having  been  recognized. 

Such  good  fortune  was  not  to   last  forever,  though ;  for,  as 
the  train  drew  up  at  the  platform,  and  Mr.  Patton,  with  the 

23 


24  &  Persevering  Messenger. 

other  passengers,  stepped  off  the  car,  his  hand  was  warmly 
grasped  by  an  old  acquaintance. 

"  Why,  how  are  you,  Patton  t  I  thought  you  were  a  National 
Guard — what  are  you  doing  here  ?" 

"  Oh,  nothing  in  particular.     You  oughtn't  to  think  so  much." 

"  Oughtn't  to  think  so  much?     What  do  you  mean  ?" 

M'Jv'Eattpji  quietly  explained  as  much  of  the  real  state  of 
affairs  as  was 'necessary  and  not  imprudent;  but  the  mischief 
1  was  already/don Q.  In  those  days  there  were  men  always  ready 
to  play  the  spy  over  another's  actions,  to  gain  in  an  underhand 
and  surreptitious  manner  knowledge  having  a  market  price; 
and  although  few  officers  were  willing  to  hold  any  converse  with 
such  men,  there  were  some  who  held  that  all  things  were  fair  in 
war.  One  of  these  informers  had  happened  to  overhear  the 
bluff  greeting,  and  lost  no  time  in  conveying  the  fact  that  a  mem 
ber  of  the  National  Guard  was  in  town. 

Mr.  Patton  strolled  toward  the  Annapolis  train  with  his  friend, 
little  suspecting  that  any  note  had  been  taken  of  that  friend's 
words.  But  the  suspicion  had  spread  rapidly,  and  when  he 
went  to  the  hotel,  to  find  when  the  train  would  start,  he  was  put 
off  by  evasive  answers  to  that  simple  question ;  they  had  no  time 
table  up  to  date — thought  it  would  go  in  fifteen  minutes — and  the 
speaker  appealed  to  a  bystander.  Mr.  Patton  was  about  to  re 
monstrate  somewhat  angrily,  when  he  saw  the  train,  some  forty 
or  fifty  yards  from  him,  move  off.  At  the  same  time  he  was 
approached  by  a  resident  of  the  town,  whom  he  afterwards 
found  to  be  a  prominent  lawyer  there. 

"  What  is  your  business  in  town,  sir  ?"  this  individual  asked. 

"It  is  not  with  you,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Patton,  as  politely  as 
the  meaning  of  his  words  would  permit. 

"But  mine  is  with  you;  you  are  suspected  of  being  a  spy." 

"I  am  no  spy,  but  a  messenger  from  the  War  Department  at 
Washington  to  the  commandant  at  Annapolis." 

The  stranger  bowed  and  withdrew  ;  but  only  a  few  feet ;  from 
the  new  position  he  signaled  to  the  captain  of  a  militia  com 
pany  that  was  drilling  a  short  distance  away.  The  drill  was 
interrupted,  and  the  entire  force  marched  towards  them.  The 
captain  stepped  up  to  Mr.  Patton  and  demanded  his  business. 

"  I  am  a  messenger  from  the  Secretary  of  War  to  the  Command 
ant  at  Annapolis.  I  do  not  understand  why  you  question  me; 
are  you  an  officer  of  the  United  States  ?" 


A  Persevering  Messenger.  25 

"  I  am  in  command  of  the  militia  volunteering  for  home  pro 
tection.  We  are  not  United  States  soldiers." 

"I  was  not  aware  that  this  state  had  seceded.  In  any  event, 
I  demand  that  you  treat  me  as  a  prisoner  of  war,  for  I  am  an 
officer  of  the  United  States  Government." 

A  little  cowed  by  the  prisoner's  resolute  tone,  the  officer 
withdrew  to  hold  a  council  of  war  with  two  or  three  of  his  sub 
ordinates.  The  conference  was  a  short  one;  all  had  heard  every 
thing  that  had  been  said,  and  had  been  affected  in  the  same  way. 
After  a  moment  the  captain  turned  again  to  Mr.  Patton  : 

"Well,"  he  said,  "you  can't  go  on,  anyhow;  you've  got  to 
go  back  to  Washington.  We'll  send  you  back  in  a  wagon." 

"  Yery  well,"  replied  Mr.  Patton;  "  I  suppose  your  wagon  is 
not  ready  yet?  I'll  walk  along  the  road  until  it  overtakes  me." 

This  was  assented  to ;  but  if  he  had  any  hopes  of  escaping 
from  them  in  that  way,  and  continuing  his  journey,  they  were 
doomed  to  disappointment,  for  the  wagon  overtook  him  in  a 
very  short  time,  and  he  was  driven  to  the  outposts  of  Washing 
ton.  But,  although  he  had  not  objected  to  their  arrangements 
when  he  was  in  the  hands  of  the  militia,  he  had  no  notion  of 
carrying  out  their  plans  any  farther  than  necessity  compelled. 
So  that  the  wagon  was  hardly  out  of  sight  when  he  turned  to  re 
trace  his  steps,  hoping  to  reach  Annapolis  by  a  road  which  did 
not  lead  through  the  Junction.  Being  very  tired,  he  felt  that  he 
would  be  unable  to  proceed  much  farther,  when  he  was  over 
taken  by  a  farmer  driving  home.  The  offer  of  a  dollar  for  a 
"  lift,"  was  gladly  accepted,  and  Mr.  Patton  slept  in  the  bottom 
of  the  wagon  until  the  countryman  arrived  at  his  destination. 

Once  more  on  foot,  he  must  find  a  guide,  that  the  journey 
might  be  accomplished  as  speedily  as  possible  ;  and  was  fortun 
ate  enough  to  overtake  a  boy  who  agreed,  "  for  a  consideration," 
to  act  in  that  capacity.  Everything  appeared  to  go  well  upon 
this  second  start,  and  he  began  to  hope  that  his  progress  would 
not  again  be  interrupted.  But  as  they  turned  into  the  main 
road,  they  were  met  by  a  half-drunken  fellow  armed  to  the 
teeth,  who  ordered  them  to  "  hold  on,  there." 

"Who  are  you?"  he  demanded. 

"My  name  is  Moore,"  replied  Patton,  anxious  that  his  real 
name  and  errand  should  not  be  known  to  the  guerillas,  of  whom 
this  fellow  was  evidently  one. 

"  Where  (hie)  you  going  to  ?" 


26  A  Persevering  Messenger. 

"I'm  going  to  Annapolis,  to  collect  some  money  due  me 
there." 

The  questioner  eyed  him  critically  for  a  moment,  and  Patton 
thought  that  suspicion  would  fail  to  get  into  that  befuddled 
brain,  when  the  guerilla  broke  out  with  : 

"Say,  I  don't  (hie)  b'lieve  a  d — d  word  o'  that.  You're  a 
Yankee  spy;  tha's  wha'  y'are." 

"I  have  told  you  my  name  and  business,"  said  Mr.  Patton  firmly; 

"now  let  me  pass." 
"Won't  let  any 
d — d  Yankee  spy 
pass.  You've  got  to 
(hie)  come  with  me 
to  tavern.  Come 
'long,  now." 

If  the  messenger 
had  spoken  firmly, 
his  waylay er  showed 
signs  of  stubbornness 
such  as  is  only  to  be 
seen  in  a  man  some 
thing  more  than  half- 
seas-over;  and  know 
ing  that  a  shot,  or 
any  other  alarm, 
would  speedily  call  a  larger  force  to  the  ground,  Mr.  Patton 
decided  to  go  to  the  tavern,  hoping  to  escape  on  the  way,  or 
to  find  that  his  captor  had  no  reinforcements  there  except 
liquor.  But,  unfortunately,  his  calculations  were  based  on 
false  grounds ;  and  he  found  several  other  guerillas  there,  all 
fully  armed,  and  all  as  drunk  as  his  captor.  The  latter  announ 
ced  that  he  had  taken  a  prisoner,  and  the  whole  company  was 
speedily  resolved  into  a  court  martial. 

"  Gren'lm'n,  'fore  we  proceed  ter  c'nsideration  (hie)  this  case, 
le's  have  'nother  drink  all  round." 
"  I  move  to  'mend — two  drinks/7 

The  drinks  were  accordingly  ordered  and  discussed.  The 
captor  was  called  as  witness. 

"  Court  martial's  always  held  in  writing — too  much  trouble  ic 
this  case  for  such  a  fellow's  fbat.    Where'd  you  kefcch  him?'' 
"Down  't  the  fork;  he's  a  spy." 


"  You're  a  Yankee  Spy. 


A  Persevering  Messenger.  27 

"Then  he  ought  to  be  shot,"  decided  the  first,  who  acted  as 
chief  of  the  judges,  and  appeared  to  have  some  kind  of  author 
ity  over  the  others. 

"  'Taint  so/'  growled  a  third  ;  "  hang  him,  if  he's  a  spy." 

"  Don'  know,"  remarked  a  fourth,  who  appeared  to  be  less 
drunk  than  the  others;  "  better  lock  him  up." 

Number  five  had  been  nodding  over  his  empty  glass ;  but  now 
awakened  with  a  start,  and  sagely  remarked  that  they  had  bet 
ter  take  another  drink  on  it.  The  wisdom  of  this  decision  was 
so  apparent  that  there  was  no  argument  following  it,  and  the 
liquor  was  unanimously  called  for.  But  if  before  they  had 
had  any  idea  of  prudence,  or  of  obedience  to  the  laws  of  war,  it 
was  washed  completely  away  as  the  fiery  stuif  was  gulped  down ; 
and  in  a  moment  more  they  were  all  resolved  to  hang  the  spy. 
A  rope  was  procured,  and  the  prisoner,  who  saw  no  possibility 
of  escape,  was  marched  out  into  the  yard.  The  rope  was  ad 
justed  over  the  limb  of  a  tree  with  as  much  skill  as  if  the  mem 
bers  of  the  court  martial  had  occasionally  assisted  Judge  Lynch, 
and  the  preparations  were  complete. 

"  Hallo  !  What  are  you  doing  there  ?"  asked  a  horseman,  who 
had  ridden  up  while  they  were  making  their  few  rude  arrange 
ments. 

"  Going  to  hang  a  d — d  Yankee  spy,"  was  the  answer,  in  a 
tone  in  which  obstinacy  and  deference  were  curiously  mingled. 

"  Fall  back  !"  was  the  authoritative  command  ;  and  the  horse 
man,  as  soon  as  his  order  was  obeyed,  approached  Mr.  Patton, 
and  said  : 

"  I  know  you ;  you  are  a  member  of  the  National  Guard  ;  I 
drank  with  you  in  Baltimore.  Where  were  you  going  when 
they  captured  you  ?" 

"To  Annapolis." 

"  On  your  own  business,  or  that  of  the  United  States  Govern 
ment  ?" 

"  That  of  the  Government." 

"  Well,  I  can't  allow  you  to  go  on ;  that  would  be  inconsistent 
with  my  duty  as  commander  of  this  district ;  but  if  you  will  give1 
me  your  word  of  honor  that  you  will  go  straight  back  to  Wash 
ington,  I  will  release  you." 

Patton,  glad  to  be  released  on  any  conditions  from  the  drunk 
en  set  who  had  held  him  prisoner,  readily  consented  to  do  this, 
and  was  soon  retracing  his  steps  a  second  time.  He  arrived  at 


28  A  Persevering  Messenger, 

Washington  without  further  adventure,  and  reported  the  failure 
of  his  efforts  to  G-en.  Scott.  In  the  capital  he  learned  that  three 
colleagues  with  whom  he  had  set  out,  had  been  no  more  success 
ful  than  himself,  having  been  arrested  and  sent  back  before  they 
reached  Annapolis. 

But  he  was  not  thus  to  be  baffled  ;  he  had  made  two  efforts 
and  failed;  and  with  faith  in  the  magic  of  the  mystic  number, 
he  determined  to  try  the  third  time.  His  parole,  of  course,  did 
not  bind  him  to  any  course  of  action,  except  the  direct  return  to 
Washington;  he  had  re-entered  the  capital  in  accordance  with 
his  promise,  and  had  reported  to  the  general  in  command  of  the 
forces  there ;  he  was  then  free  to  enter  upon  any  other  work, 
and  he  chose  to  make  the  attempt  once  more. 

He  next  disguised  himself  completely,  and  in  company  with 
a  friend  who  owned  a  very  fast  team,  drove  out  of  the  capital  in 
a  buggy.  The  object  of  the  trip  was  to  search  for  a  stolen  horse; 
and  every  one  whom  they  met  was  questioned  as  to  whether  he 
had  seen  the  animal  in  question.  Strangely  enough,  no  one  had 
seen  any  traces  of  such  a  stray  horse  as  the  two  described,  and 
they  drove  onward.  Their  ruse  forbade  their  traveling  by 
night;  so,  as  darkness  came  on,  they  stopped  at  a  tavern  for 
supper,  lodging  and  breakfast.  Having  duly  refreshed  the  in- 
ner  man,  the  two  retired  to  the  room  assigned  them.  But  Pat- 
ton,  in  order  to  gain  time,  decided  to  push  through  on  foot. 

It  was  important,  however,  that  this  movement  should  not  be 
known  to  the  people  in  the  house  until  the  next  morning;  so  he 
departed  by  stealth,  when  they  supposed  he  had  gone  to  bed  ; 
his  companion  remaining  to  take  the  buggy  and  horses  back  to 
Washington.  He  made  his  way  to  the  woods,  fearing  that  on  the 
road  he  might  be  stopped  ;  and  journeyed  to  a  considerable  dis 
tance  without  meeting  with  any  adventure.  But  now  the  sound 
of  horses'  feet  were  heard  and  the  voices  of  men.  He  hastily 
concealed  himself;  and  all  his  haste  was  needed  ;  he  had  scarce 
ly  a  moment  to  spare  before  they  were  within  a  few  feet  of  his 
hiding-place.  There,  much  to  his  dismay,  they  halted,  and  were 
soon  joined  by  two  or  three  other  parties  that  came  from  differ 
ent  quarters.  It  was  evidently  a  rendezvous,  but  whether  of 
guerillas  or  regularly  enlisted  Confederates,  he  could  not  tell. 

"Where's  the  Seventh,  now?"  asked  one  who  appeared  to 
have  the  authority  of  a  commanding  officer. 

"Embarked  on  the  Washington  train  this  evening,"  said  one. 


A  Persevering  Messenger.  29 

"  Is  that  bridge  all  right  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  another ;  the  nuts  are  all  off  the  bolts ; 
the  train  is  bound  to  go  down." 

This  was  evidently  the  chief  thing  to  be  reported,  and  in  a 
little  time  the  whole  body  moved  off.  Creeping  from  his  hiding- 
place  as  soon  as  they  were  far  enough  away  to  render  it  safe, 
Patton  hastened  back  to  the  hotel  and  aroused  his  companion. 
Together  they  started  towards  the  bridge  which  had  been  so 
tampered  with,  intending  to  prevent  the  passage  of  the  train. 
His  effort  in  this  case  was  successful,  for  the  train  was  not  quite 
due  when  they  arrived  at  the  end  of  the  bridge,  and  many  lives 
were  saved  by  the  timely  warning. 

The  third  eifort  to  get  to  Annapolis  was  now  foiled  ;  for,  even 
if  his  identity  and  business  were  not  known  at  the  hotel,  he  had 
at  least  aroused  suspicion  by  leaving  with  his  friend  in  the  mid 
dle  of  the  night.  Then,  too,  he  was  utterly  worn  out  by  the  three 
attempts,  having  driven  eighty  miles  and  walked  thirty  in  the 
thirty  hours.  So  after  three  distinct  efforts  to  perform  the  task 
assigned  him,  he  was  finally  obliged  to  turvi  it  over  to  others, 
with  only  the  consolation  of  a  duty  bravely  attempted,  though 
baffled  by  circumstances. 


C 


HAPTER 


PAST  THE  BLOCKADERS. 

Precautions  Before  Leaving  England  —  An  Uninviting  Vessel  and  Unwilling  Cap 
tain  —  Chased  —  Into  the  Jaws  of  Death  —  And  Out  Again  —  Followed  —  A  Per 
sistent  Enemy  —  But  Bad  Marksmanship  —  No  Shots  in  Reply  —  Nothing  to 
Shoot—  The  Blockaders  Get  Tired—  And  the  Rebs  Get  a  Rest. 

A  CEBTAIN  wealthy  South  Carolinian,  accompanied  by  his 
f\  wife,  went  abroad  in  the  year  1860.  After  several  months 
spent  pleasantly  in  Europe,  they  proceeded  to  Egypt.  Here  they 
lingered  over  the  ancient  ruins  until  suddenly  called  again  to 
the  living  active  world.  A  special  courier  had  been  sent  up  the 
Nile  with  some  intelligence  of  merely  personal  interest;  he 
brought  with  him  some  papers  of  later  date  than  the  tourists  had 
yet  seen  ;  and  in  these  was  contained  the  startling  information 
that  the  first  gun  had  been  fired  at  Sumter  upon  the  National 
Flag. 

"  We  must  go  home  at  once,"  said  the  traveler  to  his  wife; 
"for  every  man  will  be  needed  in  the  Southern  army  before  the 
struggle  is  ended." 

Hastily,  then,  they  prepared  to  depart.  A  Vigilance  Commit 
tee  of  the  North  had  been  established  in  London,  as  they  learned 
on  reaching  the  English  metropolis;  the  United  States  Minister, 
Mr.  Adams,  is  said  to  have  repudiated  indignantly  all  knowledge 
of  the  proceedings  of  this  institution;  but  howeverthis  might  be, 
our  tourists'  friends  informed  them  that  the  names  of  Southern 
men  who  left  England  for  the  West  Indies  were  invariably  gaz 
etted  in  the  New  York  papers.  To  avoid  this,  our  traveler, 
whose  name  was  one  well-known  in  the  annals  of  his  native 
State,  was  advised  to  adopt  another,  which  would  not  be  so  read 
ily  recognized.  It  was  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crosby,  then,  that  they 

30 


Past  the  Blockaders.  31 

sailed  from  Southampton,  and  by  that  name  we  will  call  them 
throughout  this  story. 

We  need  not  follow  them  in  their  voyage  to  Havana,  where 
they  arrived  just  three  days  after  Messrs.  Mason  and  Slidell  had 
resumed  their  interrupted  journey  to  England.  Safe  under  the 
protection  of  the  British  flag  of  the  vessel  in  which  they  had 
crossed  the  ocean,  they  had  no  difficulty  whatever  in  getting 
into  port;  getting  out  was  a  different  matter,  when  they  were  at 
last  re-embarked  in  a  Confederate  vessel. 

In  the  first  place,  they  had  to  wait  several  days  for  the  arrival 
of  such  a  craft.  Finally,  one  arrived — a  swift,  strong  steamer, 
drawing  but  little  water,  and,  consequently,  most  admirably 
adapted  to  the  work  in  which  she  was  engaged.  She  had  served 
as  a  tug-boat  on  the  Lower  Mississippi  before  the  war — and  a 
boat  less  fitted  for  the  reception  of  passengers  could  not  easily 
have  been  found.  NOT  did  she,  to  the  amateur  eye,  appear  sea 
worthy.  Besides  all  these  disadvantages,  the  crew  were  as 
reckless  looking  a  set  of  dare-devils  as  could  be  picked  up  in 
New  Orleans  for  a  service  so  full  of  perils.  Altogether,  the 
idea  of  a  voyage  in  such  a  vessel  was  so  uninviting  that  one 
gentleman,  who,  with  his  wife,  had  expected  to  accompany  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Crosby,  flatly  refused  to  ship  in  the  Victoria. 

During  the  stay  of  this  vessel  in  Havana,  she  passed  into  the 
hands  of  English  owners,  who  determined  to  run  her  back  at 
all  hazards.  She  had  brought  over  a  cargo  of  cotton  and  sug 
ar,  on  which,  in  anticipation  of  future  scarcity  of  these  articles, 
an  unusually  handsome  profit  had  been  made.  The  proceeds 
were  invested  in  forty  thousand  pounds  of  gunpowder,  a  com 
modity  sorely  needed  in  the  Confederacy.  A  number  of  rifles 
and  other  munitions  of  war  were  placed  in  her  hold,  the  mass  of 
the  cargo  being  just  under  the  cabin.  As  a  protection  from 
chance  sparks,  a  layer  of  bags  of  coffee  was  placed  over  the  gun 
powder;  but  the  carelessness  of  all  the  smokers  on  board  made 
it  wonderful  that  no  stray  cigar  stump  fell  into  this  somewhat 
inflammable  shield. 

"I  don't  know  exactly  what  the  chances  are  of  our  being  cap 
tured  by  the  Yankees,"  remarked  Mr.  Crosby  to  a  fellow-pas 
senger,  "  but  it  looks  as  if  we  were  quite  as  likely  to  be  blown 
up  by  our  own  men." 

The  listener,  a  Louisianian  named  Beaujeu,  only  shrugged  his 
shoulders  and  smiled  in  reply. 


32  Past  the  Blockaders. 

"Well,  whatever  happens,"  put  in  another  of  the  party,  a 
Mississippian,  named  Cooper,  "we  can't  accuse  the  captain  of 
persuading  us  to  ship  with  him.  He  has  done  all  in  his  power 
to  frighten  us  off,  and  has  ended  by  insisting  that  the  owners 
shall  charge  us  an  exorbitant  fare  in  gold." 

"  Certainly,  my  dear  fellow,  if  a  stray  spark  penetrates  to  the 
powder,  we'll  not  blame  the  captain  or  anybody  else,"  rejoined 
Crosby. 

"Nobody'll  ever  know  who  was  to  blame,"  continued  Beau- 
jeu,  with  mock  pathos. 

But  in  spite  of  the  captain's  objections  to  passengers,  there 
were  several  of  them  on  board  the  Victoria  when  about  six 
o'clock  on  the  evening  of  February  7th,  1861,  she  steamed  out 
of  the  harbor  of  Havana.  There  was  no  danger  of  meeting 
with  the  enemy  less  than  three  miles  from  shore,  for  that  dis 
tance  from  the  territory  of  a  neutral  power  they  were  bound  by 
the  law  of  nations  to  respect. 

In  those  early  days  of  the  war,  the  Federal  authorities  had 
not  yet  learned  the  importance  of  guarding  the  Pennnsylvania 
coal  mines.  Anthracite  coal  was  still  exported,  and  thus  the 
Confederate  steamers  were  enabled  to  obtain,  from  so-called 
neutrals,  a  supply  of  the  fuel  so  necessary  to  their  safety.  There 
was  no  smoke  from  the  smoke-stacks  of  the  Yictoria  as  she  stood 
out  from  Havana,  and  but  for  information  which  the  United 
States  Consul  at  that  port  had  managed  to  convey  to  the  cap 
tain  of  a  man-of-war  just  without  the  charmed  boundary  between 
neutral  waters  and  the  high  seas,  the  Yictoria  would  probably 
have  passed  unobserved. 

"  Ten  thousand  stars  were  in  the  sky, 
Ten  thousand  in  the  sea," 

as  the  Federal  hailed  the  long,  low  craft  which  glided  like  0 
shadow  over  the  water.  No  answer  was  given  to  the  summons, 
and  the  boom  of  a  gun  was  heard.  But  the  shot  fell  short,  for 
the  cunning  captain  of  the  Yictoria  had  discovered  the  Federal  in 
time  to  get  his  vessel  out  of  range.  "  A  stern  chase  is  a  long  chase," 
when  the  speed  of  the  pursuer  is  well  matched  with  that  of  the 
pursued;  but  if  the  latter  chances  to  be  the  swifter,  the  former 
must  soon  give  up  the  effort.  So  it  was  in  this  case:  the  Yicto 
ria  easily  distanced  the  man-of-war,  and  was  safe  for  the  present. 
They  had  to  battle  with  the  next  enemy  that  besot  them,  how 
ever;  for  the  "gigantic  storm»wind;;  is  a  foe  that  no  ship  can 


Past  the  Blockaders.  33 

evade.  But  we  are  concerned  only  with  their  adventures  in  con 
nection  with  the  blockading  fleet,  and  need  not  follow  the 
staunch  little  vessel,  or  the  passengers  through  the  qualms  of 
sea-sickness,  and  amid  the  storm;  for,  although  her  machinery 
suffered  severely  from  the  strain  which  it  underwent'in  battling 
against  the  gale,  she  was  yet  able  to  proceed  on  her  way  at  a 
sufficiently  rapid  rate  to  escape  pursuit.  The  build  of  the  Con 
federate  enabled  her  officers  to  descry  Federal  cruisers  before 
she  herself  was  perceived,  and  she  gave  to  such  a  wide  berth. 
The  principle  adopted  on  such  occasions  was:  "  Where  you  see 
a  flag  or  a  ship,  avoid  it,"  and,  in  carrying  out  such  a  policy, 
long  detours  are  unavoidable. 

About  mid-day  of  the  third  day  from  Havana,  the  officer  upon 
duty  suddenly  espied,  upon  his  right,  the  smoke  of  several 
steamers,  their  masts  rising  clear  against  the  blue  wintry  sky. 
They  had  unconsciously  sailed  almost  into  the  jaws  of  the 
blockading  squadron,  riding  before  the  passes  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Mississippi.  Instantly  the  alarm  was  given;  the  head  of  the 
little  steamer  was  turned,  and  as  much  steam  crowded  on  as  the 
weakened  machinery  would  bear.  The  engine  throbbed  like  the 
heart  of  some  immense  animal,  fearful  of  an  enemy  yet  more 
powerful. 

The  officers  and  men  were  on  the  alert;  the  passengers  equal 
ly  so.  The  gentlemen  offered  their  services,  if  assistance  should 
be  required  ;  the  ladies  clung  together  and  looked  on  in  terror. 

"Thanks  for  the  offer,"  replied  the  captain;  but  we  hope  to 
show  them  a  clean  pair  of  heels.  Do  not  be  alarmed,  ladies;  we 
<shall  escape  without  danger.,  i  He  who  fights  and  runs  away/ 
you  know,  'may  live  to  fight  another  day/  and  we  mean  to  in 
crease  our  chances  by  running  away  before  we  fight." 

Faster  and  faster  sped  the  Victoria,  and  after  her  in  hot  pur 
suit  two  Federal  men-of-war.  For  a  long  time  the  result  was 
doubtful;  then,  to  the  anxious  eyes  on  board  the  little  vessel  it 
seemed  that  the  outlines  of  masts  were  a  trifle  dimmer;  gradu 
ally  they  faded,  until  not  a  speck  blurred  the  outline  between 
sea  and  sky. 

Great  was  the  jubilation  among  the  passengers  as  the  man  on 
the  lookout  announced  that  the  enemy  was  no  longer  visible. 
Had  they  not  escaped  a  dozen  other  Federal  war  ships  in  precise 
ly  the  someway?  But  these  had  been  closer  than  any,  and 
therefore  the  triumph  was  the  greater. 


34  Past  the  Blockaders. 

"Not  so  fast,"  said  the  captain,  shaking  his  head  dubiously; 
"to  use  a  landsman's  phrase,  'Never  halloo  you're  safe  until 
you're  out  of  the  woods/  They've  not  given  up  the  chase  so 
easily,  and,  besides,  there's  another  misfortune  that  has  befal 
len  us. 

His  tone  was  very  grave,  his  look  anxious. 

"What  is  it?"  they  cried  in  chorus. 

"I  have  been  consulting  with  the  pilot,  comparing  notes  as  to 
our  deviations  from  our  course.  These  have  put  us  far  out  of  our 
reckoning,  and  neither  of  us  knows  anything  about  this  part  of 
the  coast." 

The  passengers  looked  at  each  other  in  dismay. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  Beaujeu,  whose  attention  had 
been  momentarily  diverted. 

The  situation  was  duly  explained  to  him.  He  laughed  good- 
humoredly. 

"  Why,  you  needn't  mind  a  little  thing  like  that,  Captain ; 

I've  hunted  and  fished  around  this  coast  ever  since  I  was  half 
as  big  as  a  mosquito,  and  I  know  just  where  we  are.  Where's 
your  chart,  Captain?" 

The  chart  was  submitted  to  the  volunteer  pilot,  who,  true  to 
his  promise,  pointed  out  various  landmarks  which  had  been  fa 
miliar  since  his  childhood,  but  which  were  unknown  to  the  sea 
men.  Thus  set  right,  they  directed  their  course  to  Barrataria 
Bay,  which  they  entered  after  a  few  hours'  sail.  Thus  they  were 
nearly  at  their  destination — Fort  Livingston — which  guarded 
the  entrance  to  the  passes  leading  into  the  Mississippi  Eiver. 
The  Federal  cruisers  seldom  approached  this  stronghold,  which 
was  only  about  two  days' journey  from  New  Orleans,  then  in 
the  hands  of  the  Confederates;  and  our  blockade  runners  be 
gan  to  congratulate  themselves  on  having  been  successful.  And 
when,  that  very  evening,  they  succeeded  in  establishing  commu 
nication  with  the  Fort,  they  felt  themselves  indeed  secure. 

The  commander  of  Fort  Livingston  despatched  a  pilot  to  as 
sist  the  officers  of  the  Victoria  to  run  her  in  under  the  guns  of 
the  Fort;  but,  after  repeated  trials,  lasting  almost  until  day 
break,  it  was  found  that  the  water  was  too  shoal  to  admit  of  their 
approaching  nearer  than  three  miles  from  the  Fort,  whose  guns 
were  not  of  sufficient  range  to  cover  them  at  that  distance.  Un 
der  advice  of  the  pilot,  they  therefore  anchored  at  the  nearest 
possible  point  to  await  the  rise  of  the  tide,  which,  he  assured 


Past  the  Blockacters.  35 

them,  would  easily  carry  them  in  if  they  would  but  wait  till  ten 
o'clock,  A.  M. 

Comforted  by  this  assurance,  and  confident  of  safety,  the 
wearied  crew  and  officers  were  permitted  to  turn  in,  the  three 
passengers — Messrs.  Crosby,  Beaujeu  and  Cooper — volunteering 
to  keep  watch,  along  with  the  few  whom  naval  discipline  requir 
ed  to  be  on  deck.  All  was  tranquil  for  the  remainder  of  the 
night,  and  the  morning  dawned  with  a  glory  such  as  is  seldom 
seen  at  that  season  of  the  year. 

Eight  o'clock  came,  and  all  were  once  more  stirring.  From 
the  cook's  domain  came  the  scent  of  fragrant  coffee,  and  the  ap 
petizing  sizzle  of  fresh  fish,  fried  as  only  one  of  the  old-fash 
ioned  colored  cooks  can  fry  them.  Crosby  stood  idly  drumming 
with  one  hand,  the  other  grasping  a  spy-glass. 

"I  reckon  I'll  go  below,"  he  said;  "  but  now  for  one  last 
look,  to  make  sure." 

He  raised  his  glass  as  he  spoke,  and,  as  if  in  bravado,  swept 
around  the  horizon.  He  started  back  in  astonishment,  then 
again  raised  his  glass  to  his  eye. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Mr.  Crosby?"  asked  Beaujeu,  observing 
his  actions. 

"Look  at  that  dark  line  yonder ;  what  do  you  think  it  is?" 

The  officer  on  duty  came  up  at  that  moment,  and  the  three 
looked  in  the  direction  indicated. 

"It  certainly  is  a  column  of  smoke,"  said  Crosby. 

"And  it  is  moving  this  way,"  said  Beaujeu. 

"Very  rapidly,"  added  the  Lieutenant;  "I  will  wake  the  cap 
tain." 

A  council  of  war  was  called  at  once,  to  which  the  three  civilians 
were  admitted,  by  right  of  services  willingly  rendered  in  the 
past,  and  likely  to  be  required  in  the  future. 

"  To  be  captured  at  the  very  last  moment,  after  all  our  escapes, 
is  unbearable  !"  exclaimed  one. 

"It  would  be,"  rejoined  another;  but  we  are  not  captured 
yet." 

"No,  and  we  will  not  be,"  replied  the  captain,  emphatically  5 
"  sooner  than  have  that  powder  fall  into  the  enemy's  hands  I'll 
set  a  match  to  it  myself." 

"  Can't  we  get  under  the  guns  of  the  Fort  before  high  tide?" 
asked  one. 

"  The  shore  pilot  says  not;  we'll  have  to  run  her  as  far  in  as 
3 


36  Past  the  Blockaders. 

she'll  go,  and  then  beach  her  if  necessary.  The  guns  of  the  Fort 
can't  help  her  much,  for  the  pilot  tells  me  there's  really  a  pow 
der  famine  there.  Their  supplies  have  been  delayed  or  captured 
on  the  way,  and  they  have  not  ammunition  enough  for  a  dozen 
rounds  from  the  guns." 

"  Then  we  must  save  the  powder,"  put  in  Beaujeu,  energeti 
cally. 

"How?"  demanded  an  officer,  curtly;  and  the  young  man  sud 
denly  lost  enthusiasm. 

In  accordance  with  the  decision  of  the  captain,  the  vessel  was 
put  in  motion.  The  incoming  tide  made  it  possible  for  them  to 
get  within  two  miles  of  the  Fort;  but  there  she  stuck  fast.  Rap 
idly  the  column  of  black  smoke  that  had  at  first  alarmed  them, 
developed  into  the  full  outlines  of  a  man-of-war,  the  United 
States  steamer  DeVoto.  This  vessel  was  a  trim-looking  craft 
that  carried  several  rifled  cannon  and  other  guns,  but  as  she 
drew  much  more  water  than  the  Victoria,  she  was  obliged  to  lie 
to  at  a  distance  of  three  quarters  of  a  mile.  Her  movements,  as 
may  well  be  believed,  were  anxiously  watched  from  the  deck  of 
the  Confederate. 

As  the  Federal  was  seen  to  stop,  unable  to  approach  them  any 
nearer,  the  Union  Jack  was  run  up  to  the  mast-head  of  the  Vic 
toria;  but  the  ruse  was  too  transparent  to  deceive  the  blue-coat 
ed  officers,  and  the  attempt  to  fool  them  was  answered  by  a 
shotted  gun. 

Their  own  powers  of  defense  were  but  small,  and  nothing  was 
to  be  expected  from  the  Fort,  as  its  guns  could  not  command  their 
position.  As  the  shot  dashed  up  the  water  around  them,  they 
hastily  launched  the  boats,  hoping  to  secure  the  safety  of  the 
ladies  on  board,  and  (what  was  of  far  more  importance  in  a  mil 
itary  point  of  view)  deliver  certain  dispatches  and  other  impor 
tant  papers  into  the  hands  of  the  commander  of  the  fort.  The 
officers  of  the  DeYoto  had  in  some  way  learned  this  part  of  the 
Victoria's  errand;  and  not  knowing  that  there  were  women 
on  board,  the  Federal  guns  were  directed  upon  the  boats.  For 
tunately,  the  marksmen  of  the  DeVoto  were  not  experts,  and  the 
boats  and  their  occupants  were  unharmed. 

In  response  to  the  request  of  Capt.  B of  the  Victoria,  Col. 

S — — ,  in  command  of  the  Louisiana  Volunteer  Regiment  that 
manned  the  fort,  sent  a  detachment  of  one  hundred  men  with  two 
cannon  down  to  the  landing  place;  for  had  the  vessel  been  left 


38 


Past  the  Blockaders. 


1 


Past  the  Blockaders.  39 

undefended,  the  greater  part  of  the  crew  being  engaged  in  the 
boats,  there  would  have  been  imminent  danger  from  the  launches 
of  the  Federal  steamer.  As  it  was,  these  guns  formed  a  sufficient 
protection,  being  provided  with  a  considerable  proportion  of  the 
ammunition  of  the  Fort. 

The  men  of  the  party,  officers,  crew  and  passengers,  returned 
immediately  to  the  beach  after  having  paid  their  respects  to  Col. 

S and  left  the  ladies  in  safety.  The  guns  on  shore  were  not 

enough  to  have  done  the  DeYoto  any  serious  harm,  especially 
as  she  kept  very  carefully  out  of  range  of  the  fourteen  left  at  the 
Fort;  but  hour  after  hour  the  group  on  the  beach  marked  first 
the  flash,  then  the  report  and  curling  smoke,  followed  by  the 
dash  of  the  water  as  the  ball  struck,  then  ricocheted  over  their 
heads,  so  close  that  they  dodged  in  spite  of  themselves.  The  Con 
federates  wasted  little  or  no  powder  in  the  effort  to  answer  these 
compliments,  having  none  of  that  valuable  commodity  to  spare. 

All  day  long  this  one-sided  warfare  was  kept  up,  uutil  the  Fed 
eral  had  fired  no  less  than  two  hundred  and  eighty-three  times  at 
the  vessel  and  the  troops  near  her.  Of  this  multitude  of  shots,  but 
three  struck;  two  of  these  were  solid  shot  which  inflicted  some 
slight  injury  upon  the  rigging  ;  the  third  was  a  shell,  which  was 
afterward  found  in  a  bag  of  coffee,  the  fuse  extinguished.  Had 
that  shell  exploded  as  it  was  expected  to  do,  the  Victoria  would 
have  gone  up  like  a  rocket,  and  come  down  as  splinters. 

Slowly  the  day  passed,  a  day  of  great  anxiety  to  all  who  were 
interested  in  the  fate  of  the  Victoria  and  her  cargo;  for  the  lat 
ter  was  worth  more  than  money  to  the  Confederates  at  that  period; 
and  while  the  force  here  did  not  dare  to  make  any  effort  to  land 
the  powder  until  the  DeVoto  should  disappear,  there  was  no  say 
ing  when  a  shell  might  prove  the  instrument  of  destruction.  At 
last,  as  the  twilight  of  the  short  winter  day  began  to  deepen  into 
night  the  DeVoto  ceased  firing  and  steamed  sullenly  away  in  the 
direction  of  the  blockading  fleet, 

Now  was  the  opportunity  of  Capt.  B ,  and  his  assistants, 

officers,  men  and  passengers,  with  such  help  as  might  volunteer 
from  the  Fort;  for  they  readily  divined  the  Federal's  purpose  of 
bringing  other  vessels  of  lighter  draught  to  capture  that  which 
she  had  been  unable  to  approach.  There  was  a  number  of  small 
luggers  plying  in  the  bay  and  through  the  bayous,  andl  these 
were  immediately  put  into  active  operation  to  lighten  the  pow 
der  ship.  So  well  did  they  perform  their  task  that  by  about 


40  Past  the  Blockaders. 

two  hours  before  daylight,  the  ship  was  lightened  sufficiently  to 
be  gotten  in  safety  under  the  guns  of  the  Fort. 

When  the  gray  light  of  morning  first  made  distant  objects  vis 
ible,  the  sentry  on  the  Fort  proclaimed  a  sail  in  sight.  It  was 
the  DeVoto,  accompanied  by  two  others,  in  one  of  which  the 
Southerners  recognized  a  vessel  of  their  own,  captured  by 
the  Northern  navy  only  a  few  weeks  before.  Drawing  even 
less  water  than  the  Victoria,  escape  from  these,  had  she  been  in 
the  same  exposed  situation  as  on  the  previous  day,  would  have 
been  impossible;  and  the  Confederates  enjoyed  immensely  the 
disappointment  of  their  baffled  enemies  at  this  escape  of  their 
prey. 

During  the  day  the  number  of  the  blockaders  was  increased 
to  five.  They  hovered  round  like  hawks  above  a  dove-cote,  anx 
ious  to  injure,  but  fearing  to  attack,  lest  they  themselves  be  driv 
en  off — just  out  of  range  of  the  guns  of  the  Fort;  and  for  two 
days  they  continued  to  do  this,  leading  the  Southerners  to  sup 
pose  they  meditated  an  attack.  Had  they  been  aware  of  the  ac 
tual  condition  of  affairs,  they  could  not  only  have  cut  out  the 
Victoria,  but  captured  Fort  Livingston  as  well;  for  valor  is 
nothing  under  such  circumstances  without  shot  and  shell. 

Happily  that  danger  passed  away.  Wo  treachery  revealed  to 
the  bluecoats  the  lack  of  ammunition — the  stronghold  of  the 
gray-jackets  ;  and  the  DeVoto  and  her  companions  at  last  with 
drew,  determined  that  no  other  vessel  should  elude  their  watch, 
and  slip  through  their  fingers  as  the  saucy  little  Victoria  had 
done. 


CHAPTER  JJJ. 

I 

ZOUAVES  ON  A  SCOUT. 

Ready  to  Move — Spoiling  for  a  Fight — Reconnoitering — Returning — Three  to  One — 
"  We'll  Back  You  "—A  Surprise— A  Skedaddle— A  Brisk  Engagement— A  Rapid 
Retreat— The  Spoils  of  the  Battle — Caring  for  the  Wounded — Another  Surprise 
— A  Strong  Position — A  Desperate  Defense — A  Hand-to-Hand  Encounter — 
Terrible  Odds— Every  Man  for  Himself— Help  Comes  Too  Late— Marks  of  the 
Fight. 

LONEL  WALLACE,  in  command  of  the  Zouaves  at  Cum- 
berland,  in  1861,  was  accustomed  to  post  his  mounted  scouts 
at  different  points  along  the  approaches  to  that  place  ;  but,  hav 
ing  failed,  on  the  27th  of  that  month,  to  obtain  some  very  neces 
sary  information  of  the  enemy's  movements,  he  determined  to 
employ  these  men  in  a  body  as  a  reconnoitering  party.  There 
were  but  thirteen  of  the  men,  but  they  were  the  pick  of  nine 
different  companies,  and  constant  practice  for  a  number  of 
months  had  made  them  valuable  and  efficient  in  their  peculiar 
line  of  duty.  Accordingly  he  sent  for  one  of  them,  D.  B.  Hay 
by  name. 

"Corporal  Hay,  do  you  know  where  Frankfort  is?" 
"Yes,  sir;  it's  on  the  pike  between  here  and  Komney." 
"Very  well;  you  will  take  the  twelve  other  scouts  as  your 
command,  and  go  to  Frankfort  and  find  out  if  there  are  any 
rebels  there.     Start  immediately." 

Hay  saluted  and  turned  away  to  collect  his  men.  The  latter 
part  of  the  order  was  not  difficult  to  obey,  for  the  scouts,  accus 
tomed  as  they  were  to  be  suddenly  called  on  for  active  service 
on  such  expeditions  as  this,  were  soon  ready.  Canteens  and 
haversacks  were  hastily  filled,  and  strapping  their  rifles  to  their 
backs,  the  twelve  men  mounted  their  horses,  much  the  worse  for 

41 


42  Zouaves  on  a  Scout, 

hard  service,  but  the  only  animals  that  were  available,  while 
their  officer  bestrode  the  only  steed  worthy  of  his  master,  that 
belonged  to  the  command — a  trophy  of  a  skirmish  a  few  days  be 
fore.  Notwithstanding  the  broken-down  condition  of  their 
mount,  however,  there  were  no  laggards  in  the  little  party  that 
rode  out  of  Cumberland  that  June  morning;  nor  did  the  gen- 
eral  opinion  of  their  comrades,  that  Hay  was  spoiling  for  a  fight 
and  wouldn't  come  back  until  he  had  had  one,  deter  them.  To 
men  of  their  bold  and  dashing  courage  such  a  prediction  was 
not  a  check,  but  a  spur. 

Onward  they  rode,  until,  as  they  drew  rein  on  a  small  emin 
ence,  the  little  village  of  Frankfort  lay  in  full  view.  Along  the 
one  crooked  street,  the  mere  widening  of  the  road  that  led  to 
and  from  the  town,  were  scattered  the  houses  of  various  grades, 
from  the  substantial  brick  mansion  of  the  merchant  or  lawyer 
or  doctor  down  to  the  rough  and  fragile  frame  cottage  of  the 
laborer.  Along  the  street,  too,  standing  talking  in  groups, 
walking  slowly  along,  or  lounging  before  the  stores,  were  many 
Confederate  infantrymen;  while  the  number  of  horses  picketed 
near  the  town  showed  that  there  must  be  a  considerable  force 
of  cavalry  there.  Not  for  an  instant  did  the  men  who,  from  the 
grove-crowned  summit  of  the  hill,  looked  upon  the  scene,  think 
of  the  danger  to  themselves;  that  was  always  the  last  consider 
ation.  There  was  merely  a  sigh  of  regret  that,  independently 
of  the  enemy's  numbers,  they  must  ride  away  without  attacking ; 
for  they  must  return,  with  the  information  they  had  obtained, 
to  Col.  Wallace.  As  soon,  then,  as  they  had  each  made  a  care 
ful  estimate  of  the  enemy's  numbers,  and,  comparing  them,  found 
them  to  agree  with  each  other,  they  turned  their  horses  and 
rode  leisurely  back  to  Cumberland. 

For  some  reason  they  chose  to  return  by  a  different  road  than 
that  by  which  they  had  reached  Frankfort;  nor  does  this  choice 
admit  of  any  reasonable  explanation;  it  was  by  no  means  the 
"  shortest  way  home,"  but,  on  the  contrary,  rather  the  "  longest 
way  round ;"  there  was  no  real  necessity  for  them  to  explore  it, 
as  they  would  probably  never  be  sent  that  way  again  ;  and  there 
was  no  ground  for  believing  it  safest.  Far  from  it.  They  had 
reached  a  point  between  three  and  four  miles  distant  from 
Frankfort,  and  were  descending 'a  steep  mountain  side,  when  a 
sharp  turn  of  the  road  suddenly  showed  a  considerable  body 
of  Confederate  cavalrymen  not  far  from  them.  Instantly  all 


Zouaves  on  a  Scout.  43 

drew  rein,  as  if  they  were  but  puppets  worked  by  the  same  piece 
of  mechanism;  and  though  there  had  been  no  word  of  command 
uttered,  each  proceeded,  as  the  little  party  halted,  to  count  the 
men  before  them. 

"How  many  do  you  make  of  them,  Hollenback  ?"  asked  Hay. 

"  Forty-one,"  answered  the  man,  whom  he  had  addressed.  Hay 
looked  around  the  group  questioningly,  and  each  man  nodded 
as  the  leader's  eye  met  his  ;  each  had  reached  the  same  result. 

"Well?"  he  asked,  briefly. 

"G-o  in,  Dave;  we'll  back  you,"  was  the  reponse  of  one, 
echoed  in  the  same  silent  way,  and  emphasized  by  a  grim  smile 
on  each  bronzed  face. 

"  Are  you  ready,  now  ?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,  ready  for  anything;  go  on,  and  we'll  follow,"  was  the 
reply,  as  they  unslung  their  rifles. 

"Come  on,  then,  and  the  devil  take  the  hindmost!"  cried 
Hay,  as,  setting  spurs  to  his  horse,  he  dashed  down  the  decline. 

On  rode  the  Zouaves  after  their  leader,  at  a  speed  as  nearly 
headlong  as  the  character  and  condition  of  their  horses  would 
permit.  Though  so  far  outnumbered,  the  Federals  were  not 
without  advantages  which  somewhat  counterbalanced  the  supe 
rior  force  of  the  enemy.  The  road  was  but  narrow,  and,  as  we 
have  said,  on  sloping  ground,  the  Federals  being  somewhat 
0,bove  the  Confederates;  an  abrupt  declivity  on  their  left  and  a 
nearly  precipitous  wall  ascending  on  their  right  would  prevent 
«he  formation  of  a  line  of  battle  by  the  Southerners,  who  would 
wot  have  room  even  to  wheel  their  horses  and  charge  up  hill  at 
the  handful  of  men  who  proposed  to  attack  them.  The  situation 
of  the  Zouaves  was  one  in  which  the  renowned  Davy  Crockett 
would  have  gloried,  for  to  "go  ahead,"  was  the  one  course  pos 
sible.  Even  If  they  halted,  danger  more  than  ordinary  awaited 
them,  for  the  impetus  acquired  in  their  rapid  descent  would  car 
ry  the  Federals  into  the  very  midst  of  tl  e  enemy. 

As  Hay  came  thundering  down  the  hil  ,  shouting  to  his  men, 
the  Confederates,  until  then  in  blissful  ignorance  of  an  enemy's 
presence,  halted,  surprised,  to  look  back.  The  assailants  were 
not  more  than  seventy  or  eighty  yards  away,  and  were  rapidly 
approaching.  Never  once  supposing  anything  but  that  there 
was  a  large  force  about  to  attack  them,  and  recognizing  the  dif 
ficulties  of  their  position,  the  Eebs  put  spurs  to  their  horses 
and  galloped  hastily  onward  in  no  very  good  order.  The  Zou- 


44  Zouaves  on  a  Scout. 

aves,  who  had  hitherto,  save  for  the  brief  answers  given  their 
leader,  preserved  a  grim  silence,  now  vied  with  each  other  in 
the  wild  yells  which  they  uttered.  Onward,  onward,  they  rode, 
these  grim  huntsmen  of  human  game,  and  their  cries,  echoed 
and  re-echoed  by  the  hillsides,  grew  more  and  more  unearthly. 

Owing  solely  to  the  superiority  of  his  mount — for  they  every 
one  rode  recklessly — Hay  was  far  in  advance  of  his  men.  The 
Confederates  had  not  quite  reached  the  foot  of  the  hill  when  he 
overtook  them,  firing  his  rifle  when  almost  in  their  midst.  As 
one  of  the  Confederates  reeled  in  the  saddle,  he  hurled  the  now 
useless  weapon  (for  he  had,  of  course,  no  time  to  reload)  at  a 
second;  the  Reb,  stunned  by  the  force  of  the  blow,  fell;  but 
Hay,  without  waiting  to  see  the  result,  drew  his  revolver  and 
plunged  into  their  midst.  For  a  minute  or  two  the  bullets  flew 
hither  and  thither;  as  a  gray-jacket  was  pierced  by  one  from 
Hay's  pistol,  another  struck  the  Federal ;  maddened  by  the 
thought  that  the  wound  might  be  fatal,  he  fired  again  with  the 
same  deadly  aim  as  before;  then  another,  and  another,  before  a 
second  struck  him.  Two  more  shots  and  his  revolver  was  ex 
hausted.  Drawing  his  sabre-bayonet,  he  prepared  to  use  that, 
when,  with  a  flash  in  the  sunlight  and  a  whirr  of  swift  motion, 
a  sabre,  in  the  hands  of  a  Confederate  behind  him,  descended 
upon  his  own  head.  Still,  weakened  as  he  was  and  half-blinded 
by  the  blood  which  soon  began  to  flow  over  his  face  from  this 
cut,  he  thrust  right  and  left  most  manfully. 

It  was  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Confederates  who  had 
dealt  the  sabre  cut.  Hauling  back  for  a  fresh  blow,  he  at  the 
very  instant  that  his  hand  began  to  descend,  received  a  wound 
in  the  arm  that  paralyzed  its  power.  The  ball  came  from  the 
rifle  of  a  Zouave,  Lewis  Farley,  who  had  just  reached  the  scene 
of  battle  in  time  to  see  his  officer's  danger.  Still  advancing  with 
unchecked  speed,  he  was  unhorsed  by  the  encounter;  but  the 
accident  did  not  render  him  useless.  Grappling  with  the  enemy 
who  had  been  similarly  served  by  his  onset,  there  was  for  a 
moment  a  desperate  struggle;  at  last  the  Federal  was  thrown. 
By  this  time  the  whole  of  Hay's  little  force  had  come  up,  and 
before  the  Confederate  could  make  use  of  his  advantage  over 
Farley,  another  Zouave,  Hollowell,  had  knocked  him  down. 
Springing  to  his  feet,  Farley  vaulted  into  the  saddle  of  a  horse 
that  Hay's  revolver  had  made  riderless,  and  that  far  surpassed 
the  one  from  which  he  had  been  thrown. 


Zouaves  on  a  Scout. 


45 


So  sudden  had  been  the  onset,  so  sharp  had  been  the  conflict, 
that  the  Confederates  were  still  uncertain  as  to  the  number  at 
tacking  them;  while  the  irregular  but  headlong  advance  of  the 
Zouaves  made  it  appear  as  if  they  had  dropped  from  the  clouds. 
How  long  it  might  rain  fighting  devils  clad  in  big  breeches  and 
small  caps,  they  could  not  tell;  and  thinking  discretion  the  bet 
ter  part  of  valor,  they  put  spurs  to  their  horses  and  continued 
the  flight  which  Hay's  solitary  onset  had  arrested.  Madly  down 
the  hill  they  rushed,  until  the  track  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Eailroad  was  reached;  then  along  the  road-bed, with  something 
like  the  speed  a  horseman  might  use  if  chased  by  a  locomotive 
in  a  tunnel,  they  dashed  away. 


A  Headlong  Pursuit. 

But  even  at  that  early  day  in  the  history  of  the  war,  the  im 
portance  of  this  line  of  railroad  was  fully  appreciated,  and  there 
had  been  an  effort  made  to  stop  travel  on  it.  A  culvert  had  been 
burned  by  some  marauding  party,  whether  Northern  or  South 
ern  is  uncertain  and  unimportant;  certainly  the  fact  that  it  had 
been  so  destroyed  was  not  known  to  either  of  the  two  parties 
whose  fortunes  we  are  now  following.  The  Confederates, 
indeed,  did  not  discover  the  gap  in  the  road  until  it  was  too  late 
to  check  their  horses ;  they  must  take  the  leap.  Spurring  their 


46  Zouaves  on  a  Scout. 

animals  to  yet  greater  speed,  that  the  added  impetus  might  in 
crease  their  chances  of  safety,  they  plunged  on.  Many  reached 
the  farther  side  in  safety,  but  eight,  wounded,  or  less  excellently 
mounted  than  their  comrades,  failed  to  gain  the  roadway  again; 
and  falling  heavily  into  the  rugged  chasm,  were  either  crushed 
under  their  horses  or  killed  by  the  force  of  the  fall. 

Hay,  wounded  as  he  was,  was  the  foremost  in  the  pursuit,  and 
to  him,  as  to  the  Confederates,  the  dangerous  leap  was  unavoid 
able.  His  spirited  horse,  however,  carried  him  safely  over;  but 
the  noble  animal  had  received  in  his  body  more  than  one  bullet 
meant  for  his  master,  and  weakened  by  loss  of  blood  and  by  the 
severe  exertion  to  which  he  had  been  subjected,  had  borne  his 
rider  but  a  short  distance  from  the  culvert  when  a  deadly  tremor 
passed  through  every  limb,  and  he  fell  dead  upon  the  earth.  Hay 
had  barely  time  to  extricate  himself  from  his  stirrups  before  the 
horse  fell.  Thus  deprived  of  his  only  means  for  pursuing  the 
fugitives,  and  unable,  by  reason  of  his  wounds,  to  drag  himself 
onward,  he  sat  down  upon  the  ground  beside  the  dead  horse,  and 
cried  like  a  child  over  its  loss. 

The  scouts,  seeing  the  dangers  of  the  leap  across  the  burnt 
culvert  in  time  to  check  their  horses,  turned  aside  from  the  road 
a  little  and  by  a  slight  detour  were  enabled  to  reach  their 
wounded  comrade  without  incurring  the  risk.  Of  course  pur 
suit  was  now  useless ;  so  they  devoted  themselves  to  taking  care 
of  the  spoils.  Seventeen  good  horses,  in  fair  condition,  with  all 
their  equipments,  had  been  the  reward  they  had  earned  by  their 
brave  attack;  while  eleven  of  the  Confederates  lay  dead  upon 
the  ground.  Congratulating  themselves  upon  the  brilliant  vic 
tory  which  they  had  achieved,  they  set  their  leader  upon  one  of 
the  captured  horses,  each  man  selected  one  in  place  of  his  own 
broken-down  steed,  and  they  continued  their  journey  to  the 
town  of  Cumberland. 

"Boys,"  faltered  their  officer,  in  a  weak  voice,  when  they  were 
but  a  few  miles  from  the  scene  of  conflict;  "  Boys,  I'm  getting 
so  weak  I  don't  believe  I  can  go  any  farther." 

"Can't  you  hold  out  to  Cumberland?     'Tisn't  much  farther." 

"  It's  a  long  way  oif  for  me,  for  I  can  hardly  manage  to  sit  my 
horse — " 

The  words  had  been  spoken  firmly,  though  the  voice  was  low 
and  weak;  but  the  resolution  at  last  gave  way  before  the  deathly 
faintness  that  came  over  him,  and  only  the  quick,  strong  arm 


Zouaves  on  a  Scout.  47 

of  one  of  his  men  saved  him  from  falling  from  the  saddle.  This 
was  unmistakable  evidence  that  they  must  stop.  Dismounting, 
they  laid  the  wounded  man  upon  the  grass,  where  the  thick 
foliage  kept  the  sun's  rays  from  proving  annoying ;  two  went  to 
find  a  wagon  at  some  neighboring  farm  house,  another  went  to 
the  river  for  water,  while  the  others  busied  themselves  in  bind 
ing  up  his  wounds  as  well  as  possible  with  the  rude  bandages 
they  could  prepare,  and  in  otherwise  attending  to  his  comfort. 
But  even  while  they  were  engaged  in  this  humane  task,  a  brisk 
fire  was  opened  upon  them  from  the  hill  to  their  left.  Fortu 
nately,  Hay  had  recovered  his  senses  under  the  liberal  applica 
tion  of  the  cold  water,  and  was  somewhat  strengthened  by  a 
draught  from  his  canteen. 

"  Put  me  on  a  horse,  boys,  and  leave  me  to  take  care  of  my 
self." 

His  desire  was  complied  with,  and  clinging  painfully  to  the 
saddle,  lying  down  upon  the  neck  of  his  horse — for  he  was  still 
too  weak  to  sit  upright — he  forded  the  Potomac  in  safety 0  The 
first  thought  of  the  Zouaves,  after  securing  the  escape  of  their 
wounded  leader,  was  for  the  horses  that  they  had  captured  in 
such  an  unequal  fight;  and  the  delay  occasioned  in  getting  all 
of  them  together  proved  dangerous  to  the  soldiers. 

"Let  the  horses  alone,  and  give  the  Eebels  h — 1 !"  thundered 
Farley,  as  he  saw  the  uselessness  of  the  attempt,  and  the  design 
of  the  enemy.  Evidently,  the  Confederates,  having  a  much 
superior  force,  were  trying  to  surround  the  Federals.  The  lat 
ter  now  numbered  but  ten,  for  Baker  and  Dunlap,  who  had  been 
sent  for  the  wagon,  had  not  yet  returned.  Of  them  we  shall 
hear  later. 

"  Tain't  any  use,  boys/7  said  Farley,  at  last,  "we  can't  stay 
here,  or  they'll  get  us  sure." 

The  crack  of  his  rifle  followed  this  observation. 

"What  are  we  to  do?"  asked  another,  as  he  rammed  the  ball 
home. 

"  It's  a  pretty  slim  chance,  but  if  we  could  get  to  the  big  rocks 
yonder,  the  river  'd  be  between  us  and  them." 

"  How  are  we  to  get  there  ?" 

"  Make  a  rush  for  the  island." 

They  were  on  the  point  of  land  projecting  between  the  Poto 
mac  on  the  one  side  and  Patterson's  Creek  on  the  other.  The 
bowlders  were  not  on  high  ground,  but  would  answer  admirably 


48  Zouaves  on  a  Scout. 

for  breastworks.  The  stones,  washed  naked  by  the  stream, 
almost  wholly  covered  the  surface  of  Kelley's  Island.  At  a  given 
signal,  then,  they  made  a  break  for  the  stream,  and  amid  a  shower 
of  bullets  from  the  enemy,  who  saw  the  wisdom  of  the  attempt, 
they  gained  the  coveted  position. 

"  All  right,  boys?     Anybody  hurt?" 

"All  as  sound  as  new  fifty-cent  pieces." 

"Not  whipped  yet,  not  by  a  long  shot." 

"  Be  careful  of  the  cartridges  ;  they'll  soon  begetting  mighty 
scarce." 

Crouching  behind  the  rocks,  they  waited ;  each  man  with  eager, 
gleaming  eyes  and  set  teeth,  his  finger  ready  to  dispatch  the 
messenger  of  death  as  soon  as  there  was  a  certainty  that  it 
would  reach  an  enemy.  It  surely  could  not  be  difficult  for  their 
force  to  dislodge  such  a  handful  of  men,  thought  the  Confeder 
ates;  and,  rushing  down  from  the  hill  like  an  avalanche,  they 
swept  across  the  little  plain,  and  the  foremost  man  was  in  the 
stream. 

"Whew,  boys  !  more  than  seventy;  let  them  have  it  now." 

Almost  with  one  report,  the  rifles  were  discharged ;  the  man 
in  the  stream  threw  his  arms  above  his  head  and  fell  backwards 
as  his  feet  lost  their  hold  on  the  bed  of  the  creek ;  the  water 
grew  dark  around  him  as  he  went  down  ;  here  and  there,  in  the 
mass  of  men  upon  the  land  who  were  about  to  follow  him  into 
the  water,  one  would  fall ;  another  would  stagger  a  moment  as  if 
bending  beneath  a  heavy  load  ;  and  then  would  turn  and  retreat 
toward  the  shelter  of  the  grove  as  rapidly  as  the  nature  of  his 
wound  would  permit.  Hardly  a  bullet  of  the  ten  failed  to  take 
'effect;  and  surprised  by  the  excellent  marksmanship  of  the  men 
they  were  about  to  attack,  the  Confederates  halted  irresolutely  a 
moment,  then  turned  and  fled  to  the  nearest  shelter.  When 
each  was  protected  by  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  by  a  bush,  the  side 
of  a  ravine,  or  some  such  natural  object,  as  the  Federals  were 
by  the  rocks,  there  began  that  most  exciting  kind  of  combat 
known  to  the  soldier — sharpshooting.  As  one  man  exposed  him 
self  in  order  to  take  aim  at  an  enemy,  half  a  dozen  pairs  of  eager 
eyes  would  mark  him,  and  before  his  own  ball  was  sped,  five  or 
six  others  would  come  whistling  past  his  ears. 

So  the  fight  went  on  for  more  than  an  hour,  and  at  last  the 
river  was  again  reddened ;  but  not  with  blood  this  time;  it  was 
but  the  reflection  of  the  clouds  about  the  setting  sun.  As  the 


Zouaves  on  a  Scout.  49 

sky  faded,  the  Confederates  received  a  reinforcement  of  a  small 
party  of  horsemen.  The  shower  of  shots  from  the  island  soon 
warned  the  new-comers  that,  raised  so  far  above  the  level  of  the 
ground,  they  were  in  the  greatest  danger,  and  they  speedily 
dismounted.  One  of  them,  who  appeared  to  be  an  officer  of  con 
siderable  rank,  and  who  afterward  proved  to  be  a  brother  of  the 
famous  Col.  Turner  Ashby,  took  command;  and  seemingly  in 
sensible  to  all  danger,  walked  coolly  from  point  to  point  arrang 
ing  an  attack  that  should  be  more  successful  than  the  first  that 
had  been  made  on  the  island. 

"  Hold  your  fire,  men,  until  we  see  what  they  are  going  to 
do,"  commanded  Farley,  intently  watching  the  movements  of  the 
enemy. 

But  they  were  not  left  in  doubt  many  minutes.  As  it  seemed 
to  them,  looking  through  the  gathering  darkness  from  behind  the 
rocks,  the  Confederates  sprang  from  their  coverts  at  a  given 
signal  and  made  a  rush  for  the  stream.  Onward  they  came. 

"Now  let  them  have  it,"  cried  Farley. 

And  at  the  word  there  were  ten  flashes  of  fire  from  behind  the 
rocks;  only  one  or  two  reports,  for  the  discharge  was  almost 
instantaneous;  men  in  the  river  groaned  and  sank;  men  about  to 
plunge  into  the  water  sprang  back  and  fell,  each  "with  his  face 
to  the  sky  and  his  feet  to  the  foe;"  men  behind  them  looked 
around  more  than  doubtfully.  Only  the  leader  seemed  resolute; 
but,  as  is  often  the  case,  one  man's  courage  was  sufficient  to  re 
animate  many.  The  Federals,  in  the  confusion,  could  not  dis 
tinguish  what  he  said  ;  probably  his  own  men  could  not ;  but  the 
former  felt  that  they  now  had  a  foeman  worthy  of  their  steel, 
and  the  latter  followed  him,  pressing  close  in  his  footsteps,  right 
up  to  where  the  rocky  shores  of  the  island  rose  from  the  water's 
edge. 

The  fight  was  now  hand  to  hand.  Despite  their  losses,  the 
Confederates  were  still  strong — at  least  six  or  seven  to  one. 
Against  such  terrible  odds  at  such  close  quarters,  it  was  madness 
to  fight;  yet  the  Zouaves  fought  on  with  the  strength  and  cour 
age  born  of  despair.  The  night  darkened  over  the  conflict,  and 
in  place  of  the  white  smoke  that  had  wreathed  the  muzzles  of 
rifles  and  revolvers,  there  were  flashes  of  fire ;  that  was  all 
the  change  that  the  darkness  brought.  The  noise  of  the  shots, 
the  shouts  and  curses  of  the  combatants,  made  night  hideous. 
Still  the  Zouaves  fought  on,  feeling  that  the  one  thing  lert  to 


50  Zouaves  on  a  Scout. 

them  was  to  sell  their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible;  fought  in 
stinctively,  as  the  leopard  struggles  to  free  himself  from  the 
deadly  coil  of  the  anaconda. 

Had  the  light  of  day  shone  upon  them  it  would  have  seen 
strange  pictures ;  pictures  terrible  to  look  upon,  so  full  of  ani 
mal  ferocity  they  were.  There  is  something  grand  in  the  thought 
of  thousands  of  men  laying  aside  their  daily  work,  going  to 
fight,  perhaps  to  die,  for  the  right ;  but  follow  those  men  to  the 
battle-field,  and  the  moral  heroism  has  vanished  5  the  sacrifice 
has  been  made,  and  is  over ;  they  are  mere  bull-dogs,  game-cocks, 
urged  on  to  each  other's  destruction  by  the  command  of  another 
animal,  called  an  officer.  O,  it  is  a  horrible  thing  to  see  men 
fighting  as  these  fought  there,  in  the  darkness,  upon  the  rocky 
island,  with  the  river  flowing  so  peacefully  around  them! 

Before  long,  Farley  found  himself  in  direct  combat  with  the 
Confederate  officer;  the  duel  had  lasted  some  minutes,  now  one, 
now  the  other,  gaining  a  slight  advantage,  but  it  seemed  about 
to  result  in  the  defeat  of  the  Federal,  when  another  of  the  Zou 
aves,  Hollowell,  perceiving  his  leader's  danger,  hastily  swung 
his  rifle  at  the  Kebel's  head.  The  blow  was  a  heavy  one,  and 
the  Confederate,  without  a  groan,  fell  dead  at  the  feet  of  his  late 
antagonist. 

"  D — n  it,"  was  Hollowell's  brief  comment,  "  it's  ruined  my 
rifle,"  and  stooping  down  an  instant,  he  possessed  himself  of  the 
dead  man's  revolvers. 

A  third  Zouave,  Thomas,  had  fired  twice  with  deadly  aim,  and 
was  just  in  the  act  of  reloading  when  a  pistol  ball  grazed  his 
head,  knocking  him  senseless.  As  he  fell  to  the  earth,  the  Con 
federate  who  had  fired  the  shot,  fearing  it  might  be  ineffectual, 
had  drawn  his  saber,  and  was  about  to  finish  the  work  so  well 
begun,  when  a  comrade  of  the  wounded  man  fired  upon  him. 
The  blade  gleamed  in  his  hand  a  moment,  then  fell  to  the  ground 
as  his  grasp  relaxed,  and  in  an  instant  more  his  dead  body  lay 
across  the  unconscious  form  of  Thomas.  Such  were  some  of 
the  scenes  that  might  have  been  seen,  could  the  sun  have  suddenly 
lighted  up  the  darkness.  Knowing  that  Hollenback  had  fallen, 
and  supposing  that  Thomas  had  been  killed,  the  Zouaves  began 
each  to  think  of  saving  himself,  if  it  were  possible.  One  after 
the  other,  under  cover  of  the  darkness,  the  eight  survivors 
plunged  into  the  stream  and  swam  away  from  the  scene  of  car 
nage.  The  enemy,  finding  what  they  were  endeavoring  to  do, 


52 


Zouaves  on  a  Scout. 


Zouaves  on  a  Scout.  53 

gave  chase;  but  before  long  decided  that  the  fugitives  were 
too  much  scattered  for  them  to  pursue  with  advantage. 

They  accordingly  returned  to  Kelley's  Island,  in  order  to  bury 
their  dead  and  care  for  their  wounded.  Thomas,  whose  senses 
had  now  returned,  crawled  into  a  little  thicket  of  bushes  and 
vines  as  he  realized  the  state  of  affairs.  Thence  he  could  see 
the  dead  bodies  carried  away,  thence  he  could  hear  their  every 
word. 

"Hallo  !  here's  a  Yank  ! " 

"Alive  or  dead?" 

"Alive;  come  get  out  o'  this/' 

"I  can't;  I'm  wounded,"  murmured  Hollenback,  faintly. 

"Get  out  'o  this,  I  say  ;  can't  you  understand  English  ?" 

The  command  was  uttered  so  threateningly,  and  accompanied 
by  such  a  show  of  force,  that  the  wounded  Zouave  dragged  him 
self  slowly  and  painfully  to  his  feet,  and,  still  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet,  waded  the  narrow  stream.  Thomas  lay  in  the 
bushes  unseen,  unsuspected,  until  the  last  Confederate  had  dis 
appeared  ;  then  he  crept  out,  and,  by  wading  and  swimming, 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Potomac. 

The  two  men  who  had  been  sent  for  the  wagon  had  heard  the 
earliest  shots  of  the  second  fight,  and  knowing  that  since  there 
were  so  many  fired,  there  must  be  a  considerable  force  opposed 
to  their  comrades,  galloped  off  to  the  camp  for  reinforcements. 
Fifty  men  were  immediately  detailed  to  go  to  the  rescue ;  but 
such  was  the  enthusiasm  excited  by  the  report  of  the  two  mes 
sengers,  that  the  force  was  swelled  to  four  times  that  number 
before  it  had  left  th'e  town.  Fast  as  they  could  go,  the  progress 
of  the  fight  had  been  so  rapid  that,  when  they  arrived  at  the 
field  of  battle,  there  was  no  one  there.  Stains  of  blood  upon  the 
smooth  white  rocks,  guns  lying  where  they  had  fallen  from  the 
dying  hands,  broken  pistols  that  had  been  thrown  angrily  away 
— these  were  the  traces  that  remained  of  the  desperate  fight. 
Eeturning  to  camp,  they  told  the  story  of  what  they  had  seen. 
It  was  then  late  at  night ;  early  the  next  day,  a  larger  force, 
consisting  of  two  companies,  were  sent  to  search  for  the  living 
and  to  bury  the  dead.  But  this  detachment  met  with  but  little 
more  success  than  the  former.  The  body  of  Hollenback,  which 
the  Confederates  had  left  behind  them  in  their  flight,  and  eight 
of  the  horses  the  party  had  captured,  were  all  that  they  brought 
back  to  camp  with  them.  But  perhaps  the  best  part  of  their 


54  Zouaves  on  a  Scout. 

success  was  the  information  they  obtained  that  the  Confederates 
had  carried  off  twenty-three  bodies  of  their  comrades,  besides 
those  who  were  shot  while  in  the  water,  and  drowned. 

One  after  another,  all  through  the  afternoon  of  the  28th,  the 
scouts  came  into  camp,  heartily  welcomed  by  citizens  and 
soldiers,  until  all  had  reported.  Singularly  enough,  only  Hay 
and  Thomas  were  wounded;  the  latter  very  slightly.  Of  the 
others,  one  had  had  his  cap  shot  from  his  head,  and  had  replaced 
it  by  the  broad-brimmed  soft  felt  of  an  enemy ;  another  had 
three  bullet-holes  through  his  shirt;  Farleys'  sabre  had  been 
shivered  to  the  hilt,  and  that  and  the  scabbard  were  all  that  re 
mained;  Hollowell  held  on  to  his  broken  rifle,  while  he  proud 
ly  delivered  the  captured  pistols  to  Col.  Wallace. 

"Keep  them  for  your  own  use,  Hollowell,"  said  the  officer; 
"you  have  won  them  nobly,  defending  your  comrade  in  his  dan 
ger.  I  know  that  you  will  use  them  well  in  the  defense  of  our 
country." 

But  the  enthusiasm  of  soldiers  and  townspeople  gave  way  to 
sorrow  when  the  body  of  the  one  man  killed  was  brought  back 
to  town;  with  measured,  solemn  step,  and  muffled  roll  of  drums, 
they  bore  his  body  to  the  town  cemetery; 

"  Slowly  and  sadly  they  laid  him  down, 
From  the  field  of  his  fame,  fresh  and  gory! 

They  carved  not  a  line,  they  raised  not  a  stone, 
But  they  left  him  alone  in  his  glory." 


THE  ENEMY'S  SECRETS. 

Lieut.  Pelouze  and  His  Friend — Interview  with  the  President — On  to  Richmond 
— In  the  Confederate  War  Department— The  Token — A  Vengeful  Woman- 
Trapped — The  Spy's  Escape — Leave  of  Absence— Ribbons  and  Photographs 
— "We  Did  It!" — Green  Fields  and  Pastures  New — A  Friendly  Enemy — 
Gen.  Grant's  Opinion — A  Scouting  Adventure. 

"-T-  lEUTENANT  Pelouze?  Yes,  sir,  I  think  he's  here 
I  J  now." 

The  speaker  disappeared  in  one  of  the  offices  of  the  War  De 
partment.  The  tall,  spare-built  young  man,  to  whom  he  had 
spoken,  looked  curiously  about  him,  as  if  in  the  habit  of  making 
minute  mental  notes  of  any  place  in  which  he  might  chance  to 
be.  His  survey  was  soon  completed,  for  his  glance  was  rapid 
and  comprehensive,  as  befits  one  who  must  be  observant;  and 
he  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  apartment  by  the  time  that 
young  officer  (in  later  times  holding  the  rank  of  general)  an 
swered  the  summons  of  his  friend. 

The  customary  greetings  had  been  exchanged,  and  the  strang 
er  dived  at  once  into  the  business  which  had  brought  him  to 
Washington. 

"I  came  to  see,  Pelouze,  if  you  could  introduce  me  to  the  Sec 
retary?" 

"  Why,  he  left  for  his  home  in  Harrisburg  yesterday,  and  ex 
pects  to  be  gone  a  week,  at  least,"  was  the  reply. 

The  stranger  looked  chagrined. 

"But  I  can,  perhaps,  obtain  an  interview  with  the  President," 
continued  Pelouze. 

The  stranger's  face  grew  brighter,  and  he  answered  heartily: 

65 


56 


The  Enemy's  Secrets. 


"  That  is  what  I  would  like  best  of  all  things.  When  can  it  be 
accomplished?" 

"  At  once,  I  think  ;  for  your  services  are  such  as  to  command 
attention  just  now.  '  Every  dog  has  his  day/  you  know,  and  it 
is  so  with  men.  This  is  yours." 

Toward  the  White  House,  then,  they  bent  their  steps,  and  true 
to  Pelouze's  prophecy,  were  admitted,  almost  immediately,  to 
the  presence  of  the  Chief  Magistrate. 

"  I  have  heard  of  you, 
Mr.  Lee,"  said  the  Presi 
dent,"  though  I  have  never 
before  had  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  you ;  and  the  re 
ports  have  all  been  good 
ones.  Now,  as  my  time  is 
limited,  let  me  hear  briefly 
what  you  have  to  say." 

The  young  man  bowed,  his 
face  flushing  with  pleasure 
at  the  praise;  for  even  in 
the  Spring  of  1861  men  were 
beginning  to  learn  the  value 
of  Abraham  Lincoln's  good 
opinion. 

"  I  have  just  arrived  from 
Richmond,  sir,  with  infor 
mation  which  I  hope  may  be 

of  use.   The  force  of  the  Reb- 
The  Spy's  Interview  with  Uncle  Abe.  -,      .  ,,    , 

els  is  as  well  known  to  me 

as  to  any  other  subordinate  in  their  War  Department." 

"How  many  men  have  they?" 

"  Twenty  thousand,  all  fit  for  service,  fully  armed  and  equip 
ped.  Troops  are  being  concentrated  as  rapidly  as  possible  near 
Culpeper  Court  House. 

Much  more  was  said,  of  the  same  general  tenor;  and  the  em- 
iploye  of  the  Confederate  War  Department  concluded  by  offering 
his  future  services  to  the  United  States  G-overnment  as  scout  or 
spy;  for  the  present  information  had  been  the  results  of  a  labor 
of  love. 

"  Go  back  to  Richmond  then,  Mr.  Lee,"  said  the  President; 
"  and  if  we  want  you  we  will  let  you  know." 


The  Enemy's  Secrets.  57 

The  two  young  men  retired,  and  took  their  way  to  an  apart 
ment  where  they  could  talk  the  matter  over  with  the  desired  pri 
vacy.  Many  were  the  plans  which  each  proposed  for  sending  in 
formation  back  and  forth  through  the  lines,  but  the  other  in 
stantly  pointed  out  a  fatal  defect  in  each.  Pelouze  threw  him 
self  back  in  his  chair. 

"  I  am  sure  I  have  racked  my  brains  well,  but  not  another  plan 
can  I  imagine." 

"  Nor  can  I,"  returned  Lee;  "  the  trouble  is,  that  we  cannot 
foretell  the  circumstances  under  which  we  may  have  to  get  our 
information  through,  so  we  will  just  have  to  depend  upon  the  in 
spiration  of  the  moment.  Of  course,  it  will  be  comparatively  easy 
for  you  to  communicate  with  me." 

"Yes,  but  there  must  be  some  token  or  password,  by  which 
you  will  be  sure  you  are  not  being  led  into  a  trap." 

The  officer  reflected  a  moment;  then,  drawing  a  sheet  of  paper 
toward  him  and  tearing  off  a  narrow  strip,  he  filled  the  pen  with 
which  he  had  been  idly  playing,  and  wrote  his  name — Louis  H. 
Pelouze — on  the  slip.  Folding  it  lengthwise,  he  tore  it  in  two 
and  handed  the  lower  half  to  Lee. 

"There,"  he  said,  "if  a  man  comes  to  you  in  any  garb  whatev 
er,  if  he  can  produce  this  upper  half  of  my  signature,  you  will 
know  that  I  regard  him  as  trustworthy." 

There  was  nothing  more  to  be  said  or  done,  and  the  volunteer 
spy  returned  to  Eichmond,  and  worked  sedately  enough  at  his 
desk.  His  trip  to  Washington,  it  need  hardly  be  said,  had  been 
made  under  cover  of  a  visit  elsewhere,  and  so  well  did  he  guard 
his  secret  that  he  was  no  more  suspected  than  his  great  name 
sake  himself. 

Six  months  passed,  and  Lee  had  not  yet  been  provided  with  a 
trustworthy  bearer  for  his  secret  dispatches.  Still  he  bided  his 
time  patiently,  knowing  that  he  had  not  been  forgotten. 

One  evening,  about  the  middle  of  November,  he  was  chatting 
with  a  number  of  others' in  a  cigar  store  which  was  a  favorite 
lounging  place  for  employes  of  the  War  "Department.  A  strang 
er  entered,  whom  we  may  as  well  introduce  at  once  as  Timothy 
Webster.  The  newcomer  was  drawn  into  the  conversation,  ap 
parently  by  chance;  and  as  frequently  happens  in  such  cases, 
interlocutors  in  the  dialogue  were  often  changed.  It  was  not 
long,  then,  before  Webster  and  Lee  were  talking  to  each  other 
on  the  current  topics  of  the  day. 


58  .     The  Enemy's  Secrets. 

u  Have  you  any  acquaintances  in  Washington,  Mr.  Lee?"  ask 
ed  Webster,  when  the  subject  had  gradually  changed  to  the  Na 
tional  Capital. 

"  ^ery  few  indeed,"  replied  Lee,  carelessly,  but  with  a  quick 
glance  at  the  questioner;  "  I  was  never  there  but  once,  and  form 
ed  no  new  acquaintances." 

"  The  population  is  constantly  changing,  of  course,  and  is  re 
cruited  from  all  parts  of  the  country,"  returned  Webster,  light 
ing  a  fresh  cigar;  then,  after  a  few  whiffs,  he  asked,  as  if  the 
name  had  just  happened  to  occur  to  him  :  "  did  you  ever  know 
a  man  named  Pelouze?  He  is  there  now." 

"  Pelouze  ?  Yes,  I  knew  him,  but  only  slightly." 

The  group  of  loungers  had  broken  up  into  smaller  knots,  and 
Webster  was  therefore  unobserved  by  the  others  as  he  took  from 
his  pocket-book  a  slip  of  paper,  and  handed  it  to  Lee.  It  was 
the  upper  half  of  Pelouze's  signature.  As  soon  as  they  could  do 
so  without  attracting  attention,  Lee  and  his  messenger  left  the 
store,  and,  in  the  course  of  a  stroll  about  the  city,  laid  their  plans. 

The  spy  felt  much  elated  at  the  prospect  before  him.  He  was 
now  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  Gen.  John.  H.  Winder,  the  Provost 
Marshal  of  Eichmond.  It  was  a  part  of  his  business  to  know  the 
number  and  destination  of  all  the  troops  in  the  Confederate 
Army  ;  not  a  recruit  was  enlisted,  but  that  the  information  had 
to  come  to  this  office.  Easy  enough  it  was,  then,  to  get  the  in 
formation,  and  here  was  the  long-wished-for,  trustworthy  mess 
enger  to  carry  it  to  the  Federal  headquarters.  Even  when  Web 
ster  was  laid  up  with  the  rheumatism  the  case  was  not  so  bad. 
Lee  felt  that  he  had  not  been  forgotten,  that  his  perilous  position 
in  the  enemy's  very  capital  was  to  be  the  means  of  helping  his 
country  at  last;  that  the  value  of  his  services  was  recognized  by 
those  to  whom  they  were  rendered.  Nor  did  he  deceive  himself. 
His  information  was  really  invaluable,  and  Webster's  involuntary 
defection  was  immediately  remedied  by  the  appointment  of  two 
detectives,  Messrs.  Lewis  and  Scully,  to-this  honorably  danger 
ous  post. 

We  must  now  go  back  a  little  in  the  history  of  these  two  men. 

While  in  Washington,  a  portion  of  their  duty  had  consisted  in 
searching  the  dwellings  and  baggage  of  those  persons  who  were 
suspected  of  disloyalty.  "Drest  in  a  little  brief  authority,"  they 
had  not  always  been  considerate  of  the  proprieties  and  courte 
sies  of  life;  perhaps  there  was  small  room  for  them  in  such  cases. 


The  Enemy's  Secrets.  59 

Mrs. had  been  ordered  South,  being  well  known  for  her 

political  preference  for  that  portion  of  the  country,  and  as  usual 
in  such  circumstances,  Lewis  and  Scully  were  sent  to  search  her 
baggage  and  escort  her  out  of  the  District  of  Columbia.  Perhaps, 
in  her  hot  secessionism,  she  had  provoked  them  beyond  endur 
ance ;  such  cases  were  not  unusual;  perhaps  they  were,  as  fre 
quently  happened,  possessed  of  an  undue  sense  of  their  own  im 
portance.  At  any  rate,  they  treated  her  more  roughly  than  she 
deemed  the  necessities  of  the  case  required.  This  behavior  she 
of  course  resented. 

"  I'll  not  forget  you !"  she  cried,  angrily. 

Then  the  two  detectives  had  both  smiled  in  the  peculiarly  ex 
asperating  fashion  of  entire  indifference.  It  mattered  not  to 
them,  they  retorted,  in  manner  if  not  in  words,  whether  she  re 
membered  them  or  not ;  and  the  knowledge  that  they  felt  so,  and 
had  reason  on  their  side,  only  galled  her  the  more. 

Mrs. reached  the  Confederate  capital  in  safety ;  and 

amid  friends  in  political  sentiment,  remembered  the  two  insolent 
detectives  only  as  unpleasant  creatures  with  whom  she  had  come 
in  contact  at  the  period  of  her  semi-martyrdom.  She  took  rooms 
at  the  Spottswood  Hotel.  Sitting  at  her  window  there  one  day, 
what  was  her  surprise  to  see  Lewis  and  Scully  walking  along 
one  of  the  most  prominent  streets  of  Richmond.  The  whirligig 
of  Time  had  in  truth  brought  her  an  unexpected  opportunity  for 
revenge.  She  at  once  gave  information  to  the  military  author 
ities  that  two  Yankee  spies  were  in  the  city.  The  detectives 
were  tracked,  discovered,  arrested  and  brought  to  trial,  after  the 

summary  fashion  of  soldiers  who  deal  with  spies.  Mrs. 

swore  positively  to  their  employment  by  the  United  States  gov 
ernment;  they  were  unable  to  prove  that  they  had  any  legit 
imate  business  in  Richmond,  and  were  accordingly  found  guilty 
and  sentenced  to  death. 

Webster  had  fallen  under  suspicion,  as  being  closely  affiliated 
with  the  condemned  men,  and  Lee  was  under  a  similar  cloud. 
Both  were  accordingly  arrested  immediately  after  Lewis  and 
Scully  had  been  taken  into  custody  and  before  their  trial. 
There  was,  of  course,  no  such  positive  evidence  against  them  as 
there  was  in  the  other  case,  but  the  Government  determined  to 
find  out  the  truth  regarding  them. 

Scully  was  a  communicant  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
and  requested  that  the  last  rites  of  religion  might  be  administer- 


60 


Hie  Enemy's  Secrets. 


ed  to  him.  The  request  was  so  far  granted,  he  was  told,  as  to 
allow  him  the  privilege  of  confession.  It  is  well  known  that  any 
revelation  made  in  the  confessional  is  considered  by  all  author 
ities  sacred;  a  violation  of  such  confidence  means  the  total  ex 
communication  of  the  offending  priest;  and  the  Confederate 
War  Department  either  could  not  or  would  not  bribe  one  of 
these  servants  of  the  Church  to  .betray  his  trust.  A  bogus  priest, 
however,  would  not  be  bound  by  any  such  vow  as  held  those 

sworn  to  the  altar.  A  de 
tective  was  accordingly 
dressed  in  suitable  appar 
el,  duly  instructed  in  the 
forms  to  be  observed,  and 
sent  to  the  cell  of  the 
doomed  man. 

Scully,  assured  that  his 
fate  was  sealed,  and  believ- 
ingthat  his  confidence  was 
worthily  placed,  made  a 
full  confession,  implicat 
ing  Timothy  Webster  and 
William  S.  Lee,  as  well  as 
Lewis  and  himself.  The 
pseudo-priest  was  jubil 
ant  as  he  left  the  prison. 
Four  spies  were  not  often 
discovered  at  once ;  and 
he  had  sufficient  evidence, 
as  military  tribunals  go, 
to  insure  a  quadruple 
hanging.  Lee  and  Web 
ster  were  immediately 
brought  to  trial;  the  lat 
ter  was  convicted  and  sentenced ;  but,  luckily  for  our  hero, 
Scully  had  blundered  in  regard  to  his  middle  initial,  which 
was  not  S.  but  J.  This  rendered  it  impossible  to  fix  the  offense 
upon  him,  as  there  were  several  other  subordinates  named  Lee 
in  the  War  Department.  Thus  he  escaped  by  the  skin  of  his 
teeth. 

Lewis  and  Scully  were  equally  fortunate,  although  in  a  differ 
ent  way.     They  were  both  of  English  birth,  and  had  entered  a 


The  Enemy's  Secrets.  61 

claim  to  the  protection  of  the  English  Government.  Even  in 
their  own  minds  the  success  of  this  application  was  extremely 
problematical,  as  "  British  bluster"  was  notoriously  a  support 
er  of  "  Rebel  brag."  In  their  doubts,  however,  they  were  mis 
taken  ;  the  English  representative  informed  President  Davis 
that  the  Confederate  G-overnment  would  be  held  responsible  for 
the  lives  of  two  British  subjects  if  the  sentence  against  Lewis 
and  Scully  were  carried  out.  England,  though  professedly  a 
neutral,  was  too  powerful  a  friend  to  lose,  and  the  two  detectives 

were  released,  and  escorted,  as  Mrs. had  been,  beyond  the 

lines. 

Webster  alone  found  no  help  in  the  interference  or  ignorance 
of  others,  and  he  alone  suffered  the  fate  which,  by  the  rules  of 
war,  all  had  equally  deserved.  Lee  was  released  and  restored 
to  his  desk  in  Gen.  Winder's  office,  but  suspicion  was  by  no 
means  quieted,  and  he  was  subjected  to  such  a  close  surveillance 
that  he  found  it  imp-ossible  to  send  any  information  to  the  Fed 
eral  authorities.  There  was  no  difficulty  whatever  in  ascertain 
ing  all  about  the  strength,  condition  and  movements  of  the 
whole  Confederate  army,  or  any  part  of  it,  but  how  to  make  use 
of  this  knowledge  was  a  problem  which  appeared  well  nigh  in 
soluble. 

Turning  this  question  over  in  his  mind,  he  bethought  himself 
of  two  men  whom  he  had  known  for  some  time,  and  who  were 
loyal  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  But  how  could  he  assure 
them  of  his  own  devotion  without  too  great  a  risk?  It  was  not 
only  his  own  life  that  was  at  stake — it  was  the  life  of  a  man  sit- 
uated  so  that  he  could  render  peculiarly  good  service  to  his 
country.  He  had  obtained  the  confidence  of  many  Confederates; 
his  arrest  had  not  materially  changed  their  opinion  of  him,  since 
the  charge  had  not  been  fixed  ;  that  was  the  era  of  suspicion, 
and  no  man  was  above  it.  Although  he  had  been  closely  watch 
ed  for  a  while,  vigilance  was  already  relaxing,  since  there  was 
nothing  observed  in  his  conduct  but  a  most  exemplary  devo 
tion  to  duty. 

He  could  not  go  directly  to  these  acquaintances,  for  thej 
might  fail  to  recognize  him,  and  this  in  some  way  lead  to  hi* 
betrayal.  The  return  of  confidence  made  it  possible  for  him  t( 
obtain  a  short  leave  of  absence,  "for  a  visit  to  Orange  County  * 
The  destination  thus  announced  was  so  far  within  the  Confed 
erate  lines  that  no  objection  could  be  raised  to  his  going.  But, 


62  The  Enemy's  Secrets. 

once  on  the  way  northward,  he  did  not  stop  at  Orange  County. 
Making  his  way  through  the  lines,  he  went  to  Philadelphia  and 
had  a  dozen  photographs  taken.  Thence  he  went  to  Washing 
ton,  and  after  many  strolls  among  millinery  establishments  and 
dry-goods  houses,  succeeded  in  finding  what  he  wanted — a  piece 
of  ribbon  of  an  unusual  color!  Nor  are  we  recounting  trivial 
ities  when  we  chronicle  these  proceedings  so  minutely. 

It  was  not  safe  in  those  days  to  trust  much  to  the  safety  of 
the  mails.  Letters  were  liable  to  be  lost  or  destroyed ;  and  to 
guard  against  this  danger,  our  spy  wrote  a  dozen  letters,  inclos 
ing  in  each  one  a  carte  de  visite  and  apiece  of  the  ribbon.  Six  of 
these  were  addressed  to  Samuel  Ruth,  six  to  an  old  man,  named 
Silva,  who  lived  just  outside  of  the  Confederate  lines.  These 
were  the  two  men  whom  he  believed  loyal,  to  whom  he  must 
trust  so  much. 

The  letters  were  mailed  at  different  times,  so  as  to  insure  the 
receipt  of  at  least  one  of  the  half  dozen.  Having  attended  to 
this  business,  Lee,  whose  leave  of  absence  had  nearly  expired, 
returned  to  Richmond  and  the  Confederate  War  Department. 

The  next  thing  to  be  done  was  to  find  these  men.  Ruth,  as 
he  readily  ascertained,  was  employed  by  the  Confederate  Gov 
ernment  to  transport  pontoons  from  a  point  back  of  Richmond 
to  Winchester,  whence  they  could  readily  be  removed  to  Har 
per's  Ferry,  when  Jackson's  men,  having  reached  that  place, 
would  require  them.  It  was  not  long  after  Lee's  return  that  he 
met  Ruth  face  to  face  on  the  street. 

"Good  evening,"  said  the  contractor,  lifting  his  hat  with  one 
hand,  while  the  other,  with  one  dexterous  gesture,  showed  an  end 
of  the  odd-colored  ribbon  protruding  from  his  button-hole. 

Lee  returned  the  salutation,  and  in  turn  displayed  his  rib 
bon.  Ruth  extended  his  hand. 

"  I  hardly  knew  you  at  first,  it's  been  so  long  since  I  saw  you, 
and  pictures  are  not  always  reliable." 

"But  now?"  queried  Lee. 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,"  returned  Ruth,  nodding,  and  looking 
at  the  bit  of  ribbon;  "and  mighty  glad  I  am  that  you  provided 
so  well  for  all  emergencies." 

"Are  you  ready?"  asked  Lee,  glancing  cautiously  about  him, 
to  see  that  no  one  was  near  who  would  be  likely  to  carry  the 
tale. 

A  hulking  negro  lounged  against  the  wall  near  by,  and  a  trim 


The  Enemy's  Secrets.  63 

housemaid  of  his  own  color  had  paused  a  moment  to  coquet  with 
him.  An  occasional  pedestrian  hurried  by,  but  that  was  all — 
just  enough  to  remove  all  semblance  of  privacy  from  their  talk. 

"  From  this  moment  forward,"  replied  Ruth,  fervently. 

"And  Silva?" 

"True  as  steel.  But  we  must  have  some  more  private  place 
than  this,  in  which  to  talk  these  things  over,  must  we  not." 

A  rendezvous  was  accordingly  appointed,  and  the  work  began. 

The  business  upon  which  Ruth  was  engaged  afforded  him  pe 
culiar  facilities  for  anything  of  this  kind,  as  it  was  necessary  for 
him  to  go  back  and  forth  between  Richmond  and  Winchester 
very  often,  and  a  little  extension  of  the  northward  journey  was 
never  noticed.  Lee's  duty  was  to  obtain  the  information  and  write 
it  out  in  the  cypher  agreed  upon ;  Ruth  carried  these  dispatches 
across  the  lines  to  Silva's  house,  where  some  reliable  messenger 
was  in  waiting  to  take  them  on  to  the  Federal  headquarters. 

Ruth's  duties  in  transporting  the  pontoons  were  soon  at  an 
end,  and  probably  in  recognition  of  his  distinguished  services  in 
this  connection,  he  was  made  general  superintendent  of  the  Rich 
mond,  Fredericksburg  and  Potomac  Railroad.  He  immediately 
appointed  Lee  his  assistant,  and  they  were  thus  enabled  to  trans 
mit  intelligence  more  rapidly  and  surely  than  ever. 

At  first  sight,  it  would  seem  that  this  was  a  mistaken  move  on 
Ruth's  part,  as  depriving  them  of  all  the  accurate  information 
which  Lee  had  hitherto  been  able  to  obtain  by  virtue  of  his  posi 
tion  in  the  War  Department.  But  the  superintendent  of  this 
railway  had  to  keep  a  correct  account  of  all  the  troops  carried 
to  and  from  Richmond.  "We  did  it,  too,"  observed  Mr.  Lee, 
naively  but  emphatically,  in  his  own  history  of  this  part  of  his 
life,  published  more  than  twenty  years  later. 

The  work  was  not  enough  for  two  willing  pairs  of  hands, 
however,  and  when  Lee  had  an  opportunity  of  securing  a  differ 
ent  position,  he  resigned  from  the  railway  office. 

He  had  made  application  for  the  post  of  sutler  at  Gen.  Lee's 
headquarters.  He  was  successful,  and  the  new  position  gave 
him  great  advantages.  The  officers  paid  many  visits  to  his  tent, 
and  paid  well  for  what  they  consumed  in  the  way  of  brandy  and 
tobacco.  True,  many  of  them  merely  bade  him  "  charge  it," 
and  never  allowed  him  to  see  the  color  of  their  money;  others, 
more  honestly  inclined,  paid  for  what  they  got ;  but  the  payment 
was  of  course  in  Confederate  money,  which  was  even  then  of  but 


64  The  Enemy's  Secrets. 

small  worth.  The  true  value  of  their  patronage  was  the  informa 
tion  which  they  gave  him  regarding  the  movements  and  disposi 
tion  of  various  bodies  of  men.  From  them  he  learned  better  than 
any  mere  subordinate  in  the  War  Department  could,  the  plans 
of  the  commander-in-chief  and  his  lieutenants,  so  far  as  these 
intentions  were  known  to  the  regimental  officers. 

But  Lee  was  not  allowed  to  remain  long  in  this  position.  For 
some  reason,  which,  however,  was  not  due  to  any  suspicion  of 
his  singleness  of  heart,  he  was  transferred  fi-om  G-en.  Lee's 
headquarters  to  the  Forty-fourth  Georgia.  Of  course,  a  sutler 
must  buy  stores,  and  supplies  of  whisky  and  cheese  could  only 
be  obtained  at  railway  stations,  such  as  Orange  Court  House. 
When,  therefore,  the  sutler  of  the  Forty-fourth  Georgia  went  to 
such  places,  no  one  thought  anything  of  it,  for  no  one  knew  of 
the  communications  which  he  passed  through  the  hands  of  "old 
man  Silva"  to  the  Federal  headquarters.  And  when  he  was  so 
circumstanced  that  he  could  not  go  in  person,  a  trusty  negro 
carried  a  note  to  the  same  reliable  friend,  requesting  him  to  or 
der  certain  goods,  and  making  apparently  simple  statements 
that  covered  deepest  meaning. 

But  "  the  mills  of  the  gods  grind  slowly,"  yet  they  grind  ex 
ceeding  small.  For  more  than  two  years  he  had  been  weaving 
a  net  about  himself,  in  which  he  hoped  to  ensnare  his  country's 
foes.  Strange  it  would  have  been  if,  at  some  time,  his  foot  had 
not  caught  in  some  one  of  the  many  meshes,  and  caused  a  fatal 
fall.  Suspicion  had  pointed  to  him  when  Webster  met  his  fate, 
but  the  impossibility  of  fixing  the  accusation,  and  his  own  ex 
emplary  conduct,  had  effectually  averted  the  consequences,  un 
til,  in  the  hurry  of  events,  some  new  excitement  filled  the  minds 
of  men,  some  new  individual  was  pointed  at  by  the  finger  of 
distrust.  It  was  hinted  to  some  government  detective  that  the 
sutler  of  the  Forty-fourth  Georgia  made  too  many  trips  after 
supplies,  and  often  extended  his  journey  beyond  the  lines.  The 
clue  was  followed  up,  and  Lee  was  closely  watched.  So  skill 
fully  was  it  done  that  he,  to  whom  acuteness  was  as  a  second 
nature,  and  whose  very  life  was  staked  upon  his  wariness,  did 
not  know  that  it  was  so.  The  first  intimation  of  it  came  upon 
him  like  a  thunderbolt. 

"Lee,"  said  a  detective  to  him  one  day,  "you  have  always 
been  a  good  friend  of  mine,  and  I  like  you  too  well  to  see  you 
come  to  harm.  Take  the  advice  of  a  friend,  then,  and  get  away." 


The  Enemy's  Secrets.  65 

"  What  in  the  devil  do  you  mean  ?"  demanded  Lee,  apparently 
very  much  surprised. 

"  Oh,  come,  that  won't  go  down  with  me/'  returned  the  detec 
tive,  "  though  you  are  a  good  actor.  Never  saw  it  better  done 
in  my  life,  but  it  don't  work  all  the  same.  The  order  for  your 
arrest — you  know  the  accusation — is  in  my  pocket  now,  but  I'll 
give  you  a  chance  for  your  life,  just  "for  auld  acquaintance 
sake." 

"  Do  you  think  I'm  going  to  be  scared  off  by  any  such  stuff?" 
demanded  the  spy,  with  an  indignant  snort;  let  me  tell  you,  sir, 
that  if  this  is  one  of  your  jokes  that  you  are  trying  to  playoff  on 
me,  it  is  a  very  poor  one." 

He  turned  away  in  high  dudgeon  ;  the  detective  looked  after 
him  and  sighed;  he  would  have  given  the  spy  one  chance,  but 
here  was  the  offer  thrown  in  his  teeth  ;  he  must  do  his  duty  as 
an  officer  of  the  Confederate  Government.  Stijl  he  hesitated; 
he  would,  at  any  rate,  wait  until  the  next  morning. 

But  Lee's  apparent  indignation  had  been  only  assumed  to  cov 
er  his  dismay.  He  had  not  expected  so  speedy  a  termination  of 
his  career  in  the  Confederacy,  for  the  two  years'  service  now 
seemed  short  enough.  That  very  night  he  paid  a  visit  to  his 
friend  Ruth. 

"  Why,  Lee,"  asked  that  gentleman,  much  surprised  at  his  un 
expected  appearance,  "what  brings  you  here  ?" 

"I  have  come  to  say  good-bye,"  mournfully  replied  Lee;  "you 
will  not  see  me  again." 

"Have  you  been  imprudent  in  any  way?"  asked  Euth,  anx- 
iouslyv 

"No;  I  don't  know  how  it  got  out,  unless  some  Rebel  spy 
saw  me  within  our  lines — but  I've  no  time  to  talk  ;  I  must  be  out 
of  their  reach  by  daylight." 

"  Are  you  well  mounted?" 

"Excellently;  and  I  have  considerable  money — all  my  prof 
its  ;  so  I  retreat  honorably." 

And  away  through  the  darkness  he  rode,  unquestioned  and 
unchallenged  by  friend  or  foe;  reaching  the  Federal  lines,  in  safe 
ty,  and  reporting  in  due  form  at  the  headquarters  of  Gen.  Sharp. 

"Through  the  assistance  of  Samuel  Ruth  and  William  J.  Lee," 
said  Gen.  Grant,  "  the  Rebellion  was  overthrown  a  year  sooner 
than  it  would  have  been." 

Immediately  upon  reporting  to   the   Federal  general  above- 


66  The  Enemy's  Secrets. 

named,  Mr.  Lee  was  assigned  to  scouting  duty.  One  of  his  ad 
ventures  is  worthy  of  record,  though  not  strictly  apart  of  the 
story  of  his  work  as  a  spy  for  the  Union.  His  companion  or 
partner  was  Judson  Knight;  each  knew  the  other  well;  and 
each  would  have  trusted  the  other  with  his  life,  his  fortunes  and 
his  sacred  honor. 

It  was  the  20th  of  November,  1863,  and  the  Federal  force,  un 
der  the  command  of  Gen.  Meade,  was  encamped  at  Mine  Run. 
How  large  a  body  of  the  enemy  was  near  them,  and  in  what  di 
rection  it  was  to  be  feared,  were  questions  yet  to  be  determined. 
In  obedience  to  the  higher  authorities,  a  number  of  scouts  were 
sent  out,  in  small  squads  and  in  pairs.  Among  the  latter,  who 
were  of  course  expected  to  penetrate  deeper  into  the  unknown 
than  the  larger  parties,  were  Lee  and  his  friend  Knight.  In  or 
der  to  accomplish  their  purpose  the  better,  they  had  donned 
Confederate  uniforms.  This,  of  course,  would  materially  in 
crease  their  danger  in  case  of  capture. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  they  rode  away  from  camp, 
and  for  several  miles  no  adventure  befel  them.  They  had  de 
cided  to  make  Orange  Court  House  their  goal,  as  the  Confeder 
ate  outposts  were  believed  to  be  just  beyond  that  point.  By 
skillful  management,  aided  by  their  gray  uniforms,  they  hoped 
to  get  in  the  town  such  points  as  would  enable  them  to  judge  of 
the  enemy's  force  and  exact  location.  But  when  they  were 
three  miles  away,  or  some  half-dozen  miles  from  their  starting- 
point,  Knight  turned  to  Lee : 

"  What  is  that  on  that  hill  yonder  ?" 

"I've  just  been  looking  at  it,"  returned  the  other;  "and  it  looks 
to  me  mightily  like  a  battery." 

"  There's  more  than  a  battery  there,"  said  Knight,  shaking  his 
head  doubtfully  •  "  it  looks  more  like  a  brigade." 

"I  don't  believe  there's  a  brigade  of  Eebs  within  ten  miles," 
answered  Lee,  testily,  "  but  let's  ride  nearer." 

Acting  on  this  suggestion,  they  approached  the  point  where 
the  doubtful  body  of  men  was  located.  They  were  challenged 
by  a  picket.  Lee  recognized  the  voice  as  belonging  to  an  old 
Richmond  acquaintance. 

" Why,  Burton,  don't  you  know  me?"  he  asked,  with  great 
heartiness  of  manner. 

Burton  looked  hard  at  him  through  the  gathering  dusk  of  the 
November  afternoon. 


The  Enemy's  Secrets.  67 

"  D — d  if  I  do,  unless  its  Leo,"  replied  the  picket;  who,  it  is 
hardly  necessary  to  say,  was  not  aware  of  the  Fourth-  Georgia's 
loss  of  a  sutler. 

"Lee  it  is,"  returned  the  scout;  "this  is  my  friend,  Mr.  Knight, 
Mr.  Burton,  one  of  the  honorable  class  of  high  privates." 

"Same  as  myself,"  answered  Burton,  with  a  short  laugh; 
"  happy  to  meet  you,  Mr.  Knight." 

The  Federal  muttered  something  which  might  have  meant  an 
acknowledgment  of  the  introduction,  and  accepted  the  Confed 
erate's  proffered  hand. 

"Many  of  the  boys  about  here,  Burton?"  inquired  Lee,  in  an 
off-hand  manner. 

"  Well,  the  regular  picket  guard  ;  the  relief  will  be  here  in  a 
few  minutes.  Hi,  Jim  !  did  you  know  Lee  was  here?" 

Thus  summoned,  the  comrades  of  Burton  gathered  about  the 
two  Federals. 

"  Fourth  Georgia,  I  s'pose,  Mr.  Knight?"  asked  Burton,  by 
way  of  doing  the  polite;  "  didn't  know  you  were  in  the  neigh 
borhood." 

"Yes,  we've  been  here — that  is,  hanging  around  Meade — for 
some  little  time;  we've  heard  of  your  being  here,  and  Lee  in 
sisted  on  riding  over  to  see  some  of  his  old  friends." 

"  Did,  eh  ?  Well,  I'm  mighty  glad  to  hear  he  remembered  us 
so  kindly.  Sort  o'  makes  a  man  feel  good,  these  wartimes.  Say, 
Lee,  if  you're  so  anxious  to  renew  old  acquaintances,  there's 
plenty  more  on  the  road." 

''Are  there?"  asked  Lee,  with  genial  interest;  "and  where 
may  they  be  now?" 

"Well,  I  reckon  they're  pretty  near  all  of  them  at  Orange 
Court  House  by  this  time.  Just  about,  I  should  say,  for  there 
comes  the  relief." 

fl But  not  all  of  my  acquaintances,  I  suppose?"  asked  Lee; 
"  another  regiment?" 

While  Burton  and  Knight  had  been  talking,  he  had  ascertain 
ed  that  this  was  the  outpost  of  a  regiment  of  artillery,  and  sup 
posed  that  some  infantry  was  coming  to  support  it  in  case  of  an 
attack. 

"Another  regiment!  h — !  It's  old  Pap  Longstreet's  whole 
corps." 

"  You  are  joking." 

"No,  I'm  not;  it's  so — ain't  it,  Brown?"  turning  to  a  com- 


68 


The  Enemy's  Secrets. 


rade;  "  they've  been  getting  in  all  the  afternoon,  and  they're 
just  about  settling  themselves  to  salt  mule  and  chicory  now. 
Have  a  chaw?" 

A  glance  of  quick  intelligence  passed  between  the  two  scouts, 
then,  with  the  rapidity  of  thought,  each  had  sprung  upon  the 
back  of  the  horse  nearest  to  him,  and  spurred  away.  The  as- 


•  Spies!  Spies!  Yankee  Spies  /" 


tonished  Eebs  grasped  the  situation  in  a  moment. 

"Spies!  spies!  Yankee  spies!"  they  yelled,  and  fired  hastily 
after  the  fast  flying  figures.  "And  then  and  there  was  hurrying 
to  and  fro,"  as  the  alarm  was  given  and  the  chase  began. 

The  fugitives  bent  their  heads  down  to  their  horses'  necks, 
and  gave  the  fleet  animals  the  rein.  The  bullets  whistled  about 
their  ears,  but  still  they  rode  on  unharmed;  the  leaden  mes 
sengers  of  death  tore  up  the  earth  under  their  horses'  very  feet; 
but  fainter  and  fainter  grew  the  yells  behind  them.  Onward, 
still  onward;  and  now  they  are  out  of  range;  now  they  ap 
proach  the  Federal  lines,  and  at  last  are  safe  within  them,  as 
tonishing  Gen.  Meade  with  the  news  of  so  large  a  force  scarcely 
nine  miles  away. 


;pHAPTJEF( 


CAUGHT  A  TARTAR. 

A  Reconnoissance  —  A  Hard  Road  to  Travel  —  Surprised  —  Surrender  of  Arms  —  Hia 
Captors  Get  His  Ammunition,  and  He  Gets  His  Liberty. 

ONE  day,  early  in  September,  1861,  Capt.  W.  E.  Strong, 
of  the  Second  Wisconsin  Volunteers,  was  ordered  to  pro 
ceed  to  the  woods  near  Camp  Advance,  at  which  the  Second 
wasvthen  stationed,  to  see  if  the  outer  line  of  pickets  ought  to  be 
extended.  Proceeding  along  this  line  until  the  last  post  was 
reached,  he  found  that  he  was  some  four  hundred  yards  from  the 
river.  To  the  right,  between  the  pickets  and  the  stream,  was  a 
dense  thicket  of  pine  undergrowth.  In  Capt.  Strong's  judg 
ment,  this  portion  of  the  ground  should  be  occupied,  as  the  thick 
brush  offered  such  facilities  for  the  advance  of  small  parties  of 
the  enemy  upon  the  outer  post.  He  accordingly  so  reported  to 
the  superior  officer  who  ordered  him  to  make  the  inspection  ; 
and  was  directed  to  make  a  minute  examination  of  the  grounds, 
reporting  again  at  3  P.  Ms 

A  short  time  after  noon,  then,  he  departed  upon  this  second 
errand,  and  "  thereby  hangs  a  tale/'  Passing  the  outpost,  he 
pushed  on  through  the  thicket,  and  found  that  distance  had  in 
deed  lent  enchantment  to  the  view.  He  had  thought  that  the 
brush  would  shelter  the  enemy  in  any  flank  movement  that 
might  be  attempted  ;  but  he  found  that  the  ground  was  so  rough 
and  the  woods  so  dense  that  no  force  could  penetrate  it.  Having 
made  his  way  to  the  river,  the  officer  concluded  that  his  work 
had  been  thoroughly  done,  and  that  he  might  return  by  some 
pleasanter  road  than  that  'by  which  he  had  advanced.  He  ac 
cordingly  turned  back  on  a  line  about  one  hundred  rods  in  ad- 
69 


70  Caught  i  Tartar. 

vance  of  the  outer  line  of  pickets,  intending  to  turn  towards 
camp  as  soon  as  he  got  fairly  into  the  open  country. 

Ail  along  this  route  there  was  underbrush  of  greater  or  less 
density,  but  none  so  difficult  to  penetrate  as  that  thicket  through 
which  he  had  just  made  his  way.  Thinking  nothing  of  any 
danger,  he  pursued  the  path  calmly  but  rapidly,  in  order  to  get 
back  to  camp  and  report  at  the  time  designated.  He  was  hasten 
ing  along  when  he  came  to  a  somewhat  denser  thicket  than  any 
which  he  had  yet  passed  since  leaving  the  river.  Suspecting 
nothing  of  danger  within  such  a  short  distance  of  the  Federal 
lines,  he  plunged  into  the  shady  recesses.  Suddenly,  from  be 
hind  every  bush  there  appeared  to  spring  a  man  ;  and  in  an  in 
stant  there  were  six  Confederates  surrounding  him  and  demand 
ing  his  surrender. 

"  Gentlemen,  you  have  me,"  replied  the  Federal,  somewhat 
ruefully,  as  he  saw  that  there  was  no  possibility  of  escape. 

"Who  are  you?"  asked  one  of  them,  whom  the  others,  later 
on,  addressed  as  "Sergeant,"  and  who  appeared  to  be  in  com 
mand  of  the  squ'ad. 

"  Your  prisoner//  he  answered,  evasively  ;  at  which  there  was 
a  general  laugh  at  the  "  cute  Yankee." 

"Where  were  you  going  ?" 

"Back  to  camp." 

"Where  had  you  been  ?" 

"  Gentlemen,  I  must  decline  to  answer  any  such  questions,"' 
he  answered. 

This  produced  considerable  dissatisfaction  among  his  captors, 
and  they  began  to  discuss,  in  no  very  pleasant  mood,  how  they 
should  dispose  of  him. 

"  Oh,  let's  hang  the  d d  Yankee  scoundrel,"  suggested  one, 

pointing  to  a  limb  overhead,  such  as  Judge  Lynch  has  often 
wished  for. 

"  Let's  take  him  to  camp  and  hang  him  there,"  proposed  an 
other. 

"  Well  take  him  to  camp,"  decided  the  sergeant,  without  inti 
mating  what  was  to  follow  when  once  they  had  arrived  there. 

The  procession  was,  to*  the  prisoner,  an  imposing  one.  He 
himself  was  the  central  figure.  Two  of  the  Confederates  were 
cavalrymen,  and  these  rode,  one  on  each  side  of  him.  Before 
him  were  two  infantrymen,  while  the  remaining  two  "brought 
up  the  rear.  There  seemed  absolutely  no  possibility  of  escape 


Caught  a  Tartar.  71 

Dy  any  way  that  could  be  thought  of,  and  Strong  felt  hopeless. 

Whether  they  did  not  wish  to  linger  so  long  almost  in  the 
very  face  of  the  Federal  pickets,  or  whether,  in  that  early  stage 
of  the  War,  the  capture  of  an  enemy  was  so  novel  an  experience 
that  they  did  not  "  know  the  ropes,"  we  cannot  undertake  to 
say;  but  certainly  the  little  column  had  marched  some  twenty 
rods  before  it  occurred  to  the  sergeant  that  a  point  of  some  im 
portance  had  been  neglected. 

"  See  here,  stranger,"  he  said,  turning  to  the  prisoner,  "I 
reckon  I'll  trouble  you  for  your  sword  and  pistols." 

"  Certainly,  sir,"  replied  the  captive,  stopping  short  in  the 
road  to  get  the  weapons,  in  order  to  give  them  up. 

The  sergeant  had  omitted  to  order  a  halt,  and  as  a  natural 
consequence,  his  men  marched  on.  As  Capt.  Strong  brought 
his  pistol  pouches  around  to  the  front  of  his  body,  and  his  hands 
touched  the  stocks,  the  idea  suggested  itself  that  here  was  a 
chance  to  escape.  The  soldiers  had  passed  on  and  were  about 
fifty  feet  away;  they  were  in  a  comparatively  open  portion  of 
the  woods,  but  about  sixty  yards  to  the  rear  was  a  small  thicket  ; 
the  prisoner  was  fleet  of  foot,  and  a  good  shot.  All  these  points 
were  thought  of  as  he  changed  the  position  of  the  pouches;  he 
touched  the  stocks ;  he  drew  out  the  pistols  at  full  cock,  and 
aiming,  first  at  the  sergeant,  then  at  the  two  infantrymen  who 
were  nearest  to  him,  fired.  Hardly  had  the  bullets  sped  from 
the  barrels  when  he  was  off  to  cover,  like  a  deer  before  the 
hounds. 

He  had  moved  so  readily  to  give  up  his  weapons  that  the  Con 
federates  had  not  the  slightest  idea  of  his  intention,  when  the 
shots  rang  out,  both  at  once,  upon  the  still  air.  For  a  moment 
they  were  paralyzed  by  surprise;  then,  as  they  realized  the  situ- 
uation,  gave  chase.  But  that  moment's  inaction  had  enabled 
the  fleet-footed  Federal  to  get  a  good  start.  He  had  nearly 
reached  cover  before  a  shot  was  fired.  But  the  bullets,  when 
they  did  come,  were  not  ill-aimed.  One  passed  through  his 
cheek,  coming  out  at  his  mouth;  a  second  perforated  his  can 
teen;  and  the  others  whistled  unpleasantly  close  to  his  ears. 

In  the  meantime  the  Confederates  had  hastily  arranged  a  plan  of 
pursuit.  The  sergeant  was  not  hit,  but  two  of  their  number  had 
fallen  by  the  fire  of  the  prisoner;  there  were  then  two  horsemen 
and  two  unmounted  men  remaining.  The  latter  gave  direct 
chase,  trusting  that  their  own  speed  would  prove  greater  than 


72 


Caught  a  Tartar. 


that  of  the  Federal  $  the  troopers  made  a  circuit,  one  to  each 
w'de,  so  as  to  head  him  off  and  drive  him  back  upon  the  two  in 
fantrymen. 

As  Capt.  Strong,  glancing  back  over  his  shoulder,  saw  the  ar 
rangements  that  were  being  made  for  the  pursuit,  he  fired  three 
or  four  shots  at  the  pursuing  infantrymen ;  but  he  dared  not 
pause  to  take  careful  aim,  and  the  shots  had  no  effect.  He  ran 
on,  still  at  the  top  of  his  speed,  until  a  small  knoll  was  passed, 
and  he  was  thus  shut  off  from  the  pursuers ;  he  was  almost  within 


Catching  a  Tartar. 

hailing  distance  of  one  of  the  Federal  pickets.  But,  even  as  he 
felt  that  in  a  few  minutes  more  he  would  be  safe,  he  was  sud 
denly  confronted  by  the  two  troopers. 

"  Halt  I     Surrender  I  "  called  the  sergeant. 

For  answer,  Capt.  Strong  turned  and  ran  in  the  other  direc 
tion;  the  sergeant  spurred  his  horse  onward,  and  was,  in  a  mo 
ment's  time,  nearly  up  with  the  fugitive.  The  Federal  turned, 
took  deliberate  aim,  and  pulled  the  trigger.  The  cap  snapped. 
The  trooper  had  his  carbine  unslung  by  this  time,  and  was  hold 
ing  it  with  both  hands  on  the  left  side  of  his  horse,  the  barrel 
pointed  to  the  Federal's  breast,  and  without  bringing  the  weapon 
to  his  shoulder,  the  Confederate  fired.  It  was  a  good  shot,  when 


Caught  a  Tartar.  73 

the  aim  is  considered;  though  it  failed  of  its  object;  the  ball 
passed  through  coat  and  shirt,  grazing  the  skin  on  the  left  side 
between  the  fifth  and  sixth  ribs.  An  inch  to  the  right,  and  it 
Vould  have  been  fatal. 

By  this  time  the  fugitive  was  ready  with  another  shot,  and 
this  time  his  revolver  did  not  fail  him.  When  the  smoke  cleared 
away,  he  saw  ahorse,  empty-saddled,  galloping  off  towards  the 
Confederate  camp,  the  rider  dragged  >  along  the  ground  by  the 
foot,  which  still  stuck  in  the  stirrup,  as  the  Trojan  prince  was 
dragged  at  the  chariot  wheels  of  Achilles.  Other  Confederates 
there  were  none  visible;  warned  by  the  fate  of  half  their  num 
ber,  they  had  hastily  beaten  a  retreat.  Capt.  Strong  ran  on  un 
til  the  pickets  were  reached,  when  he  thought  he  might  take  it 
a  little  more  leisurely  ;  being  much  exhausted  by  the  exertion 
and  the  loss  of  blood  from  the  wound  in  his  face. 

Whether  he  reached  camp  in  time  to  report  punctually  at  the 
hour  set,  does  not  appear ;  but  as  the  official  written  report  from 
which  the  outlines  of  this  story  are  drawn,  was  dated  the  day 
after  the  adventure,  we  conclude  that  the  surgeon  interfered  to 
prevent  over-exertion  in  the  way  of  talking.  He  was  uninjured, 
save  for  the  shot  in  his  cheek.  He  never  heard  again  of  his 
captors  who  so  narrowly  escaped  with  their  lives.  They  evi 
dently  carried  off  the  bodies  of  the  two  infantrymen,  as  these 
were  killed  very  near  the  Confederate  lines;  and  the  dead 
trooper  was,  as  we  have  seen,  dragged  back  to  camp  by  the 
frightened  horse. 


A  SCOUT  TO  BALTIMORE. 

Necessity  for  Information — Obliging  Yidettes — A  Successful  Ruse — An  Unexpected 
Guest,  Who  Finds  Himself  in  a  Hornet's  Nest,  But  Doesn't  Get  Stung — A  Cor 
dial  Reception — Attentions  from  the  Officer  of  the  Day — Danger  Ahead — 
Getting  the  Countersign — A  Drunken  Officer,  Who  Speedily  Sobers  Off — A 
Changed  Home — Trustworthy  (?)  Messengers — A  Deserved  Fate — A  Friendly 
Chat,  That  Ends  Unpleasantly — Crossing  the  River — The  Enemy  Alarmed — 
Pursuit — Vexation  of  the  Pursuers — The  Pursued  Triumphant. 

rinHE  War  between  the  States  afforded  peculiar  facilities  for 
I  obtaining  information,  on  either  side,  by  means  of  scouts 
or  spies  ;  for  in  every  state  that  lay  along  the  dividing  line  there 
were  men  who  held  with  the  North,  and  others  who  held  with 
the  South.  Such  men,  of  course,  from  their  peculiarly  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  surrounding  country  and  its  inhabitants,  were 
invaluable  to  the  commanders  to  whom  they  attached  them 
selves.  Such  a  man  was  Elijah  White,  a  wealthy  planter  of 
Maryland,  who,  like  many  others,  incensed  that  that  state  re 
mained  in  the  Union,  volunteered  to  serve  in  the  Confederate 
army  operating  in  the  sister  state,  Virginia. 

In  October,  1861,  G-en.  Evans,  of  the  Confederate  army,  whose 
forces  were  then  at  Leesburg,  was  much  annoyed  by  the  knowl 
edge  which  the  Federals  frequently  showed  of  his  plans.  Sus 
picion  immediately  fell  upon  the  townspeople,  but  could  not  be 
confirmed  with  regard  to  any  particular  persons.  Not  only  was 
this  the  case,  but  the  enemy  indulged  in  many  maneuvers  which, 
in  his  entire  ignorance  of  their  movements  and  intentions,  often 
discomforted  his  forces.  Accordingly,  several  Marylanders  in  the 
Confederate  service  volunteered  to  cross  the  Potomac  and,  pene 
trating  as  far  as  Baltimore,  sixty  miles  away,  bring  back  the  news. 
74 


A  Scout  to  Baltimore.  75 

Four  men  made  up  the  party,  one  of  them  being  Mr.  White. 
Riding  to  that  point  selected  for  fording  the  river,  they  found 
that  the  stream  was  closely  watched  on  the  other  side.  Strata 
gem,  of  course,  must  be  employed,  and  some  accommodating 
videttes  were  pressed  into  service. 

"Just  you  fuss  about  and  attract  as  much  attention  as  you 
can,  will  you?"  was  the  proposition  ;  u  and  then  maybe  we  can 
get  across." 

Doubtless  the  Federal  pickets  wondered  what  was  the  mat 
ter  with  the  videttes  across  the  river;  certainly,  they  paid  their 
undivided  attention  to  those  gentlemen,  and  did  not  see  the  four 
men  in  blue  uniforms  who  swam  their  horses  to  the  Maryland 
side.  These,  of  course,  were  White  and  his  party;  and  once 
more  on  dry  land,  they  changed  their  blue  uniforms  for  citizens' 
clothes,  and  rode  away.  But  by  the  time  that  they  were  ready 
to  do  so,  the  Federals  had  discovered  that  the  "fussing  about" 
on  the  part  of  the  videttes  had  been  merely  a  ruse  to  draw  their 
attention  from  something  else,  and  blue-clad  cavalrymen  were 
now  galloping  hither  and  thither  in  search  of  the  daring  enemy. 
But  the  Marylanders  had  no  mind  to  be  found  ;  each  felt  that 
"his  foot  was  on  his  native  heath,"  and  if  no' clan  surrounded 
him,  each  was  a  host  in  himself.  To  them,  a  road  was  a  superflu 
ity,  and,  striking  into  the  thick  timber,  they  rode  for  thirty  miles 
without  other  guide  than  their  knowledge  of  the  country  and 

"  The  cool,  green  mosses, 
To  the  northward  of  the  trees." 

Of  course,  for  them  to  enter  Baltimore  in  a  party  would  prob 
ably  excite  suspicion,  as  that  city  was  then  in  the  hands  of  the 
Federals,  who  knew  not  whom,  among  its  inhabitants,  to  trust; 
so,  a  short  time  before  reaching  the  suburbs,  they  separated, 
having  first  assigned  one  of  the  principal  hotels  as  a  rendez 
vous.  True,  the  city  being  an  important  point  and  more  than 
suspected  of  having  Southern  proclivities,  was  closely  guarded; 
but  the  four  Confederates  succeeded  in  evading  any  trouble 
some  inquiries.  The  very  fact  that  they  had  so  many  acquaint 
ances  in  the  city  was  in  itself  a  danger,  but  they  were  so  skill 
ful  and  fortunate  as  to  avoid  meeting  with  any  who  might  betray 
them.  But  as  the  adventures  of  three  of  the  party  were  of  no 
particular  interest,  and  might  be  told  in  a  few  words,  let  us  fol 
low  the  chief  of  the  expedition,  then,  as  he  made  his  way  about 
the  city. 


76  A  Scout  to  Baltimore. 

Stabling  his  horse  in  an  out-of-the-way  place,  he  carefully  re 
moved  all  traces  of  his  ride  from  his  person,  and  bent  his  steps 
toward  the  residence  of  a  friend  in  whom  he  knew  he  could 

trust,   a  Mr.  W .      But  what  was   his  surprise  to  find  his 

friend's  parlors  filled  with  a  considerable  party,  twelve  of  whom 
were  Federal  officers.  W ,  however,  was  well  used  to  dis 
sembling  in  the  presence  of  such  as  his  present  guests,  and  ex 
claimed,  as  he  shook  the  new  comer  heartily  by  the  hand: 

"  Why,  I  had  no  idea  we  should  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
you  to-night — thought  you  couldn't  tear  yourself  away  from  the 
metropolis." 

"  O,  I  left  ISTew  York  last  night,"  explained  White,  readily 
taking  the  cue.  "Thought  I'd  come  around;  though  I  didn't 
know  there  was  any  party  on  hand." 

"  O,  not  a  party ;  just  a  few  friends  from  the  garrison  and 
about  town,  that,  like  yourself,  happened  to  drop  in.  Let  me 
introduce  you." 

The  new  comer  was  as  heartily  received  by  the  guests  as  by 
the  host,  and  though  the  inquiries  as  to  the  news  from  the  me 
tropolis  were  somewhat  difficult  to  answer,  the  suspicions  of  the 
party  were  not  aroused.  Tell  it  not  in  Gath,  but  the  truth  gath 
ered  from  many  sources  by  the  present  historian,  seems  to  be  that 

the  good  liquor  dispensed  so  liberally  by  W affected  them 

with  such  a  desire  to  love  all  mankind  as  is  cpite  unusual  and  im 
proper  for  soldiers  in  time  of  war.  Certain  it  is  that  the  strange 
New  Yorker,  who  spoke  so  patriotically  about  the  "  Union,  one 
and  indissoluble,  now  and  forever,"  was  taken  to  their  hearts  as 
"  a  regular  brick  ;"  they  seeming  to  be  especially  fond  of  that 
variety  of  building  material  that  night,  since  each  went  home 
with  one  in  his  hat. 

But  before  they  dispersed,  or  even  before  they  became  "o'er 
all  the  ills  of  life  victorious,"  White,  by  means  of  skillful  and 
seemingly  innocent  questioning,  succeeded  in  obtaining  consider 
able  information  regarding  the  number  and  disposition  of  troops 
upon  the  upper  and  lower  Potomac.  So  completely  were  they 
blinded  by  his  acting  and  their  own  intoxication  that  one  of  them 
insisted  upon  escorting  him,  the  next  day,  over  the  fortifications. 
This  Federal  was,  on  that  particular  occasion,  officer  of  the  day, 
but  his  duties  were  not  so  onerous  as  to  interfere  with  hospital 
ity,  and  everything  was  fully  explained  to  the  stranger.  It  may 
well  be  believed  that  the  Confederate  kept  his  eyes  and  ears 


A  Scout  to  Baltimore.  77 

open,  and  while  asking  as  few  questions  as  possible,  in  order 
not  to  excite  the  suspicions  of  his  now  sober  companion,  he  man 
aged,  by  careful  comparison  of  statements,  to  get  a  pretty  accu 
rate  idea  of  facts  and  figures. 

But,  of  course,  all  of  his  time  could  not  be  spent  in  this  profit 
able  manner.  Provided  by  Mr.  W with  the  sign  and  counter 
sign,  by  which  he  could  gain  the  confidence  of  the  Southern  sym 
pathizers,  he  spent  several  days  very  pleasantly;  keeping  a 
sharp  lookout,  meanwhile,  for  further  information.  At  last, 
judging  that  they  had  learned  all  that  was  necessary  or  possi 
ble  for  them  to  find  out,  the  four  Confederates  met,  under  cover 
of  night,  at  a  friend's  house,  to  arrange  matters  for  their  depart 
ure.  Their  discussion  was  suddenly  interrupted  by  their  host, 
who  ushered  in  another  friend,  who  had  recently  arrived  in  the 
city.  The  new  comer  was  greeted  as  cordially  as  in  time  of  peace, 
and  the  important  subject  in  hand  dropped  for  personal  inquiries. 

"  Sorry  not  to  have  seen  you  before,"  he  replied  to  their  greet 
ing;  "  but  maybe  it's  just  as  well  for  you  I  wasn't  in  the  city.  I 
tell  you,  gentlemen,  you'll  have  to  be  right  careful  if  you  want 
to  get  through  all  safe." 

"  O,  we're  always  careful — never  got  caught  yet." 

"From  what  I've  heard  of  your  adventures,  its  more  by  good 
luck  than  good  management;  for  some  of  your  expeditions  have 
been  right  risky.  But  you'll  need  extra  care  now.  There's  some 
thing  going  on  along  the  upper  Potomac;  I  couldn't  find  out 
particulars  without  having  too  many  questions  asked  of  me,  and 
maybe  being  obliged  to  make  a  trip  to  Fort  McHenry;  so  I 
thought  I'd  warn  you  and  give  you  all  the  information  I  could 
safely  obtain." 

"  The  fords  are  guarded,  I  suppose?" 

"  Double  forces  at  every  one.  Baker — he's  old  Abe's  right- 
hand  man,  you  know  —  brags  that  he  isn't  going  into  winter 
quarters  until  he  can  do  it  at  Rebel  expense." 

"  Does  he  prefer  Libby  or  Andersonville  ?"  asked  an  irrepres 
sible  wag. 

"  There's  no  time  for  joking,  said  "White ;  Baker's  acting  in 
conjunction  with  Stone,  at  Poolesville;  and  we'll  have  to  get 
back  as  soon  as  we  can." 

Setting  out  with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  they  made  their 
way  to  the  river;  but  the  nearer  they  approached  it,  the  more 
dangerous  they  found  their  course.  There  were  so  many  Fed- 


78  A  Scout  to  Baltimore. 

erals  along  the  principal  roads  that  they  had  to  keep,  most  of 
the  time,  in  the  timber;  and  this  could  hardly  be  called  a  wise 
plan,  since  it  would  be  liable  to  excite  the  suspicions  of  any  stray 
scouting  parties  with  which  they  might  chance  to  meet.  But 
their  fears  proved  groundless,  and  they  safely  reached  the  woods 
near  Poolesville.  From  this  point,  however,  as  they  were  well 
aware,  it  was  unsafe  to  proceed  towards  the  town,  which  lay 
directly  in  their  course ;  yet  it  seemed  equally  unsafe  to  turn 
aside. 

"I  tell  you,  boys/'  suggested  "White,  "  let's  get  the  countersign 
and  go  into  Poolesville." 

" Easily  enough  said/7  returned  one;  "but  how  is  it  to  be  ac 
complished  ?" 

"Til  go  and  get  it." 

But  there  was  a  chorus  of  protestations  against  White's  propo 
sition,  and  it  was  only  with  difficulty  that  he  could  silence  their 
objections  to  his  daring  project.  At  last,  however,  he  persuaded 
them  to  go  to  the  house  of  a  friend  living  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  remain  there  for  a  given  time,  or  until  he  should  return  with 
the  countersign.  Kesuming  his  Federal  uniform  as  soon  as  this 
plan  was  agreed  on,  he  proceeded  cautiously  along  the  road  un 
til  the  light  of  a  picket  fire  warned  him  that  advance  in  that 
direction  was  no  longer  safe.  Hitching  his  horse  in  the  woods, 
therefore,  he  crept  silently  through  the  brush  until  he  was  with 
in  earshot  of  the  nearest  guard.  More  than  an  hour  he  lay  there 
in  the  darkness  made  yet  more  dense  by  the  deep  shadows  of  the 
wood;  hardly  daring  to  breathe  deeply  lest  he  should  alarm  the 
guard;  to  hear  the  countersign  he  had  crept  to  within  as  short  a 
distance  as  the  nature  of  the  ground  allowed.  His  blood  was 
chilled  by  the  long  inaction,  for  the  air  was  keen  that  Octo 
ber  night ;  and  his  limbs  were  almost  benumbed  by  lying  so  long 
in  one  position.  At  length,  however,  his  patience  was  rewarded. 
Footsteps  were  heard  approaching. 

"  Who  comes  there  ?"  challenged  the  guard. 

"  A  friend  with  the  countersign." 

"  Advance,  friend,  and  give  the  countersign." 

With  beating  heart,  the  man  hidden  in  the  bushes  strained  his 
ears  to  hear  the  reply,  which  sounded  but  faintly: 

"Bunker  Hill." 

He  felt  like  flying  back  to  his  horse,  but  must,  of  course,  re 
turn  as  slowly  and  cautiously  as  he  had  advanced.  At  last,  how- 


A  Scout  to  Baltimore.  79 

ever,  he  was  once  more  mounted,  and  dashed  along  the  road  at 
full  gallop,  roaring  out  as  he  went,  something  like  this: 
"  Oh,  the  Star-Span-(hic)gled  Banner,  oh,  long  (hie)  may  it  wave, 
O'er  the  (hie)  land  of  the  frrhee  (hie)  and  the  home  of  the  brah-(hic)ve." 

This  beautiful  rendering  of  the  patriotic  song  was  rudely  in 
terrupted  by  the  picket's — 

"  Halt !     Who  comes  there  V 

"  Friend  'ith  count'sign,"  answered  the  new  comer,  with  tipsy 
gravity,  as  he  vainly  tried  to  keep  himself  from  reeling  in  the 
saddle. 

"Advance,  friend,  and  give  the  countersign/'  was  the  reply, 
in  the  stereotyped  form  ;  while  the  picket  smiled  contemptuously 
at  the  drunken  officer  who  answered : 

"  Bunker  Hill,"  as  he  passed  on. 

The  sights  which  now  met  his  eyes  were  such  as,  unexpected, 
might  have  sobered  him  had  he  been  as  drunk  as  he  pretended 
to  be;  for  he  was  now  at  once  upon  his  own  plantation,  and  in 
the  Federal  camp.  His  home  was  converted  into  a  guard-house, 
whence  issued  unearthly  cries,  in  mingled  accents  of  brogue  and 
German-English,  from  the  drunken  soldiers  confined  there.  The 
fences  had  long  since  fed  the  flames  of  camp-fires  ;  the  barns  had 
shared  the  same  fate.  The  groves  were  unsightly  clusters  of 
maimed  trees,  separated  by  strips  of  land  where  the  fresh  stumps 
showed  what  had  been.  But  it  was  no  time  to  think  of  the 
past,  or  the  present  as  compared  with  it ;  he  must  think  only 
of  the  present  and  the  near  future.  Passing  easily  from  place 
to  place  by  means  of  the  countersign,  he  fell  in  with  a  party  of 
officers  who  seemed  bent  on  a  glorious  spree. 

"Keep  it  up  till  the  'wee  sma'  hours',  boys,"  cried  one. 

"You  bet  your  bottom  dollar  on  that,"  answered  another. 

"  I  was  to  get  back  to  Little  Mac,  with  these  dispatches,  before 
sunrise,"  said  a  third,  refilling  his  glass  and  leisurely  sipping 
the  contents. 

"  Thirty  miles!"  exclaimed  a  fourth;  "think  you'll  make  it?" 

The  speaker's  laugh  was  echoed  by  the  whole  party,  for  the 
messenger's  attitude  and  manner  were  anything  but  indicative  of 
the  energy  that  would  be  required  for  the  ride. 

"D— d  if  I  intend  to  try  it.  Old  Stone  needn't  to  think  it, 
Guess  my  horse  is  lamec  I  hope  he  is." 

"  What'll  you  do  ?    Somebody  '11  blow  on  you,  maybe." 

"  O,  I'll  fix  that.    1  won't  stay  in  town.     Guess  I'll  go  just  the 


80  A  Scout  to  Baltimore. 

other  side  and  put  up  at  P 's  for  the  night.  Your  dispatches 

are  for  Banks,  ain't  they,  Schmidt?" 

Schmidt,  another  aid  present,  answered  that  they  were. 

"  Guess  they're  good  enough  to  keep  over  night,  ain't  they  ?  I 
don't  believe  they're  important.  Let's  make  a  night  of  it,  any 
how,  and  lay  the  blame  on  the  d — d  good-for-nothing  horses, 
that  are  so  easily  lamed." 

"Dat  soods  me,  Gabdain" — answered  Schmidt,  with  a  strong 
German  accent.  "  I  don't  know  any  ting  w'at  I  likes  better." 

The  "wee,  sma'  hours"  came  all  too  soon  for  the  majority  of  the 
party  ;  but  at  the  smallest,  they  judged  it  safest  to  break  up  the 
bout.  The  two  aids  rode  on  to  the  plantation  at  which  they 
were  to  spend  the  night;  the  remainder,  with  one  exception, 
staggered  home  to  their  quarters ;  that  one  man  mounted  his  no 
ble  gray  horse  and  rode  hastily  to  the  farm-house  where  there 
were  three  others  awaiting  him. 

"  Did  you  get  the  countersign  ?';  was  the  first  eager  question  of 
all. 

"  Got  it  without  any  trouble  •  had  some  first-rate  liquor,  and 
have  lots  of  fun  in  prospect  for  us." 

"What  is  it?" 

"A  couple  of  McClellan's  aids  are  going  to  spend  the  night 

at  p 's'}  one  has  dispatches  from  Stone,  the  other  to  Banks. 

Let's  capture  them." 

With  exclamations  of  joy,  only  stifled  that  no  enemy  might 
overhear  them,  they  mounted  and  were  soon  on  their  way  to  the 
indicated  house.  Their  plan  was  arranged  as  they  rode  on;  hav 
ing  ascertained  in  what  room  the  two  aids  were  to  sleep,  they 
would  manage,  by  stratagem,  to  separate  them,  and  thus  beat 
them  in  detail.  Accordingly,  having  lain  in  wait  some  time, 
White  rode  up  to  the  house,  and  rousing  a  servant,  asked,  in  dis 
guised  voice: 

"Is  Captain  Schmidt  here  ?  I  have  been  told  that  he  was,  and 
have  been  sent  by  Gen.  Stone  to  call  him  immediately." 

"Yessah;   I'll  tell  him,  sah." 

Capt.  Schmidt  soon  made  his  appearance,  hurling  oaths  that 
from  their  deep  guttural  sounds  seemed  doubly  profane. 

"  Tamnter  teufel  w'at  watched  me  and  told  old  Stone.  Wat's 
de  matter  you?  O,  I  peg  bardon — " 

"  I  am  very  sorry  indeed,  Captain  Schmidt,  for  the  duty  which 
has  been  imposed  upon  me.  The  general  sent  for  me  as  soon  as 


A  Scout  to  Baltimore.  81 

he  learned  of  my  arrival  in  camp.  It  seems  he  had  already 
heard  of  our  frolic,  and  had  ordered  word  of  my  arrival  to  be 
brought  to  him — " 

How  long  "White  might  have  gone  on  in  these  condolences  is 
uncertain,  for  as  he  got  to  this  point  his  three  men  had  arranged 
matters  so  that  the  trusty  messenger  was  completely  in  their 
power,  and  a  moment  more  sufficed  to  secure  him  in  such  a  way 
that  resistance  was  useless,  had  he  not  been  too  much  astonished 
to  think  of  making  any.  He  was  left  in  charge  of  two  of  the 
men  at  some  distance  from  the  house  where  he  had  expected  to 
spend  the  night,  while  White  and  the  third  of  his  little  force 
went  again  to  the  residence. 

The  knock  at  the  door  was  answered  this  time  by  P in 

person,  very  much  out  of  humor  at  having  his  household  so  fre 
quently  aroused  at  such  unusual  hours  ;  for  it  was  now  verging 
on  three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Determined  to  see  the  intruder, 
he  suddenly  shoved  the  candlestick  so  close  to  White's  face  that 
the  flame  singed  his  hair'  and,  seeing  his  old  neighbor  before 
him,  started  back  in  utter  surprise.  With  a  warning  glance, 
White  placed  his  finger  on  his  lips  and  pointed  his  revolver. 

P ,  having  recovered  his  self-control,  nodded,  and  quietly 

submitted  to  be  guarded  by  White's  companion.  Meantime  the 
Confederate  leader  had  mounted  the  stairs  to  the  room  lately 
occupied  by  Capts.  Schmidt  and ,  but  in  which  only  the  lat 
ter  was  to  be  found. 

"  Why,  Captain  White,"  exclaimed  the  Federal,  as  he  opened 
the  door,  "come  in,  sir.  Glad  to  see  you." 

"  I  heard  you  say  at  the  tavern  that  you  were  going  to  stay  all 
night  here,  and  I  thought  I'd  follow  suit,  and  join  my  regiment 
in  the  morning." 

"  O,  it  isn't  worth  while  to  be  so  particular;  take  my  word 
for  it,  it  doesn't  pay.  Have  a  seat.  You  smoke,  of  course  ;  won't 
you  try  one  of  these  cigars  ?" 

"Thank  you;  but  smoking  of  itself  is  dry  work;  I've  a 
pocket  pistol  here,  of  excellent  brandy ;  sample  it." 

"  Is  that  the  kind  of  arms  you  carry  ?  I'm  afraid  they  wouldn't 
be  of  much  use  if  you  were  called  on  to  defend  yourself." 

"  O,  it's  all  right,  I  reckon  ;  it  don't  pretend  to  be  effective 
against  any  foes  but  thirst  and  fatigue.  By  the  way,  how  about 
the  new  carbines  they  talk  of  introducing  ?  Have  you  heard  any 
thing  of  them?" 


82 


A  Scout  to  Baltimore. 


"  "No,  nothing  but  some  camp  talk.  This  is  first  class  brandy 
— best  I've  tasted  for  a  long  time0  I  guess  they'll  poke  along 
about  the  carbines  a  year  or  two,  and  then  the  war  '"ill  be  over 
and  forgotten.  For  my  part,  I'd  rather  trust  to  these  than  to  any 
carbine  ever  made." 

"Colt's,  are  they?  It's  a  magnificent  pair,  certainly." 

"Yes,  Colt's  navies;  I  carry  them  always;  keep 'em  loaded, 
and  never  let  them  go  out  of  my  possession/' 

"Now,  I  prefer  this  kind — it's  Adams,'  self-cocker;  have  you 
ever  seen  them?" 

"  Don't  believe  I  have,"  replied  Capt.« ,  pushing  his  own 

revolvers  across  the  table  that  stood  by  the  bedside,  and  reach 
ing  for  the  more  novel  weapon  of  his  companion.  Meanwhile 
White  carelessly  picked  up  the  pair  thus  tendered  to  him,  and 
examined  them  thoroughly,  as  any  soldier  might  examine  a 
handsome  article  of  the  kind.  Cocking  them  as  if  unconscious 
ly,  he  seemed  lost  in  admiration  of  the  elegant  workmanship. 

"Loaded,  you  say?"    he  asked,  in  a  careless  tone. 

"Always,"  was  the  answer. 

"Mine    isn't,"  was 

White's  rejoinder,  as  he 
pointed  the  weapon  in  his 
right  hand  at  his  compan 
ion's  head,  "I  am  a  sol 
dier  in  the  Confederate 
army,  and  I  want  you  to 
dress  and  come  along  with 
me  immediately." 

The  Federal,  taken  com 
pletely  by  surprise,  stared 
a  moment  at  the  Confed 
erate  ;  then  started  up  as 
if  about  to  grapple  with 
his  opponent. 

"It's  of  no  use  to   re-  "Mine  isn't." 

sist,"  White  assured  him, 
"  for  the  house  is  surrounded  by  my  men.  Be  quick." 

The  prisoner  dressed  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  in  company 
with  the  two  Confederates,  was  soon  on  horseback.  Not  much 
time  was  required  to  reach  the  remainder  of  the  party,  the  re 
union  affording  much  surprise  to  the  two  prisoners,  each  of  whom 


A  Scout  to  Baltimore.  88 

was  ignorant  of  the  other's  capture ;  and  an  equal  amount  of 
quiet,  grim  amusement  to  the  four  Bebs.  With  their  prisoners 
in  the  centre,  they  trotted  briskly  along  in  the  bright  moonlight 
until  the  gleam  of  the  picket-fires  across  the  Potomac  was  visi 
ble.  It  was  now  necessary  to  hold  a  council  of  war;  and  with 
drawing  into  the  shadows  of  the  woods,  they  consulted  upon  the 
course  to  be  pursued.  At  last  it  was  suggested  that  two  should 
advance  boldly  towards  the  pickets  with  the  countersign,  and 
state  that  they  had  volunteered  to  cross  the  river  on  a  recon- 
noissance. 

"  That  will  get  two  of  us  across,"  answered  one ;  "but  how 
about  the  rest?" 

"Why  the  news  will  spread,  and  they  will  want  to  talk  it  over 
with  each  other ;  so  they  won't  attend  much  to  their  posts  for  a 
while;  and  the  two  left  behind  with  the  prisoners  can  surely 
find  an  opportunity  of  slipping  past  at  some  place." 

The  plan  was  accordingly  put  into  operation,  and  succeeded 
admirably.  When  the  two  who  went  first  were  safely  across  the 
river,  and  the  others  were  watching  their  opportunity,  White 
turned  to  his  prisoners  and  said  : 

"Gentlemen,  as  you  are  perhaps  aware,  the  least  sound  may 
betray  us ;  and  the  slightest  attempt  on  your  part  to  escape 
would  excite  the  suspicions  of  your  friends,  Now  I  don't  like  to 
threaten,  but  for  us  to  be  taken  would  involve  us  in  considerable 
danger;  so  please  understand  that  the  slightest  effort  to  attract 
attention  will  be  certain  death.  If  we  are  taken,  we  will  sell  our 
lives  dearly  and  yours  will  be  only  a  portion  of  the  price." 

The  two  prisoners,  who  had  previously  been  gagged  to  pre 
vent  their  talking,  as  they  seemed  determined  to  do,  bowed 
their  heads  in  assent  to  this  demand,  and  gave  no  trouble  in  the 
passage  of  the  river.  The  Confederates  watched  their  chance 
narrowly,  and  when,  as  they  had  expected  would  be  the  case, 
they  saw  one  particular  spot  deserted,  they  issued  from  the 
woods  and  swam  their  horses  across  the  stream.  But  scarcely 
had  they  crossed  when,  in  the  distance,  they  saw  two  squadrons 
of  the  enemy  dashing  along  the  bank.  Some  of  the  negroes  about 

P 's  plantation   must    have  made   their  way  directly  into 

camp  and  given  information  of  all  that  had  taken  place.     Their 
words,  full  of  anger  and  chagrin,  soon  became  plainly  audible  to 
the  Confederates,  who,  secure  in  the  vicinity  of  their  own  picket 
lines,  gave  vent  to  a  hearty  burst  of  laughter. 
6 


84  A  Scout  to  Baltimore. 

-'That's  him!"  cried  one  of  the  pursuing  party;  "I  know  his 
voice,  Major." 

"Is  that  you,  White?" 

"Yes,  that's  me,  Major;  how  are  you,  sir?  Fine  night,  isn't 
it?  I'll  give  you  another  call  soon.  Good-night." 

In  an  instant  a  shower  of  shot  was  falling  around  him,  but  for 
tunately  did  no  damage.  In  his  little  force,  he  had  himself  as 
sumed  the  position  of  rearguard,  and  had  lingered  farther  behind 
his  party  than  was  necessary ;  accordingly,  putting  spurs  to  his 
good  gray,  he  cantered  merrily  on,  and  had  soon  come  up  with 
the  main  body.  But  they  were  now  approaching  Leesburg  a  lit 
tle  too  closely  for  the  liking  of  the  Federals,  who  accordingly 
wheeled  as  soon  as  they  saw  that  they  were  not  to  bag  their 
game,  and  returned  to  the  Maryland  side  of  the  Potomac. 

Meanwhile,  White  and  his  men  had  reached  Leesburg,  deliver 
ed  their  prisoners  into  the  proper  hands,  and  as  soon  as  they 
should  have  snatched  a  few  hours'  sleep,  were  ready  for  any 
other  expedition  which  promised  as  much  as  this,  in  the  way  of 
adventure. 


ZAGONYTS  FAMOUS  CHAKGE. 

Fremont — Zagonyi — Fremont's  Body-Guard — A  Kid-Gloved  Brigade — The  Prairie 
Scouts — Valuable  Information — Strength  and  Disposition  of  the  Confederates — 
"Fremont  and  the  Union  "—The  Valley  of  Death— Mathenyi's  Attack— Ectreat 
of  the  Enemy — A  Determined  Foe — His  Fate — The  Fight  Ended — Not  a  Kid- 
Gloved  Brigade. 

EN".  FKEMONT  had  been  extremely  popular  ever  since 
is  explorations  of  the  Far  West  had  made  known  to  the 
people  the  true  greatness  of  the  country  beyond  the  Mississippi ; 
and  when,  in  the  early  days  of  the  war,  he  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  Federal  forces  in  Missouri,  enthusiasm  knew 
no  bounds.  He  was  welcomed  as  a  deliverer  by  those  who  de 
sired  to  keep  the  State  in  the  Union,  and  bitterly  execrated  by 
those  of  opposite  sentiments. 

Among  those  whom  his  personal  powers  of  fascination  and 
romantic  life  had  attracted  to  his  side,  was  a  Hungarian  refugee 
who  had  long  been  a  resident  of  this  country.  A  soldier  in 
boyhood,  when  his  native  land  made  her  desperate  but  unsuc 
cessful  effort  to  free  herself,  he  made  himself  notorious  for  his 
headlong  courage.  But  he  was  not  permitted  to  serve  until  the 
end  of  the  war.  There  was  a  desperate  cavalry  charge  upon  an 
Austrian  battery;  more  than  half  of  the  horsemen  were  slain; 
their  leader  was  wounded  and  captured ;  and  for  two  years, 
Zagonyi  was  a  prisoner.  Then,  imperial  clemency  released  him, 
but  exiled  him  forever.  He  came  to  this  country,  and  having 
for  so  many  years  enjoyed  the  blessings  of  a  republican  form  of 
government,  considered  himself  as  much  bound  to  fight  for  the 
preservation  of  the  Union  as  any  "  to  the  manor  born." 

Zagonyi  offered  his  services  to  Gen.  Fremont,  and  was  most 
85 


86 


Zagonyi's  Famous  Charge. 


cordially  received.  Whether  at  his  own  suggestion,  or  that  of 
his  commander,  does  not  appear  •  but  he  was  authorized  to  raise 
a  company  of  horse,  to  be  known  as  "  Fremont's  Body-Guard." 
Such  was  the  personal  popularity  of  the  Pathfinder,  that  young 
men  flocked  to  the  standard  thus  raised,  in  numbers  more  than 
sufficient  to  fill  the  company.  Notwithstanding  the  severe  tests 
to  which  they  were  subjected,  in  the  effort  to  organize  a  body  of 
Bayards,  knights  fearless  and  blameless,  within  five  days  a  num 
ber  sufficient  to  form  two  full  companies  had  been  enrolled.  In 
addition  to  these,  a  third  company,  composed  of  the  flower  of 
the  Kentucky  youth,  ten 
dered  its  services  and 
asked  to  be  included  in 
the  guard.  Subsequent 
ly  a  fourth  company  was 
added  to  these  three. 
Handsomely  uniformed, 
well-armed,  mounted  up 
on  picked  horses,  and 
peculiarly  entitled  to  be 
called  by  the  command 
er's  name,  the  corps  soon 
awoke  the  jealousy  of 
the  other  parts  of  the 
army.  "  Fancy  soldiers/' 
the  "kid-gloved  brigade," 

and  similar  epithets  were  muttered  or  spoken  aloud  as  they  rode 
through  the  camp.  Fired,  as  they  were,  with  an  enthusiasm  for 
a  soldier's  life,  these  were  the  bitterest  taunts  that  could  be  flung 
at  them;  and  many  were  the  secret  vows  made  by  those  chival 
rous  hearts,  that  their  comrades'  words  should  be  disproved. 

Late  in  October,  1861,  Major  Zagonyi  received  orders  to  pro 
ceed  with  one  hundred  and  sixty  of  his  men  to  reconnoiter  the 
country  through  which  the  main  body  was  about  to  advance; 
leaving  the  remainder  of  his  men  in  camp,  under  command  of  a 
non-commissioned  officer.  It  was  eight  o'clock,  on  the  evening  of 
the  24th,  when  they  set  out  toward  Springfield,  Mo.  Gen.  Sigel 
had  already  sent  out  a  squadron  of  cavalry  for  a  similar  purpose, 
one  hundred  and  thirty  strong — the  Prairie  Scouts,  well-known 
in  the  War  history  of  Missouri ;  these  were  but  a  few  hours  in 
advance  of  Zagonyi's  troops,  and  a  rapid  march  soon  enabled 


Zagonyi's  Famous  Charge.  87 

the  latter  to  overtake  them,  thus   combining  the  two   forces. 

Major  Zagonyi  took  command — the  officer  of  the  Prairie 
Scouts,  Major  White,  being  very  ill — and  pressed  rapidly  on 
ward.  His  men  were  almost  worn  out  by  the  strain  on  their 
powers.  The  Scouts,  organized  at  Georgetown,  had  marched  to 
Lexington,  sixty-five  miles,  and  retaken  the  boats  which  Price 
had  captured  from  Mulligan,  when  the  latter  capitulated  in  Sep 
tember.  Proceeding  by  way  of  Warrensburg  to  Warsaw,  Major 
White  had  reported  to  Gen.  Sigel  for  duty,  and  had  been  sent  to 
Springfield.  During  the  whole  of  this  time  they  had  been  with 
out  tents,  and  had  been  obliged  to  provide  themselves  with  food 
from  the  surrounding  country.  Although  the  Body-Guard  could 
not  show  such  a  length  of  arduous  service  as  their  comrades, 
they  were  equally  weary,  having  been  on  the  march  for  seven 
teen  hours. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  men  when,  as  they  came  within 
two  miles  of  Springfield,  they  were  met  by  a  farmer  who  said  he 
had  important  information  to  give.  Obedient  to  the  summons  of 
their  leader,  the  officers  clustered  around  him,  and  listened  at 
tentively  to  this  "friend  in  need."  A  number  of  men  on  their 
way  to  join  Price,  he  said,  had  but  recently  arrived  at  Spring 
field,  and  this  reinforcement  had  increased  the  force  of  the  enemy 
to  two  thousand.  Later  investigations  have  revealed  that  this 
estimate  fell  short  of  the  real  strength  of  the  enemy  by  two 
hundred — in  itself  not  much  less  than  the  entire  force  at  Zagonyi's 
disposal. 

The  Confederates  were  encamped  upon  a  hill  about  half  a  mile 
west  of  the  town;  to  their  left  was  a  broad  and  well  traveled 
road;  to  their  right,  a  narrow  lane.  Their  rear  was  protected 
by  a  dense  growth  of  trees,  which  crowned  the  summit  of  the 
hill,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  there  was  a  small  brook.  Be 
tween  their  encampment  and  the  grove  mentioned,  were  situated 
the  county  fair  grounds.  The  latter  afforded  protection  for 
their  train,  being  surrounded  by  a  high  board  fence;  while  the 
edge  of  the  timber  formed  an  advantageous  post  for  their  'in 
fantry  and  cavalry. 

Major  White  had  been  left  behind  the  main  column,  with  a 
small  escort,  to  proceed  as  slowly  as  his  weakened  condition 
might  require ;  and  had  been  captured  by  a  Confederate  scouting 
party.  This  confirmed  earlier  reports  of  the  presence  of  Fed 
eral  troops  in  the  near  vicinity,  and  their  officers  lost  no  time  in 


88  Zagonyi's  Famous  Charge. 

preparing  to  resist  the  expected  attack.  Their  position  was 
practically  unassailable,  except  by  way  of  the  narrow  lane  al 
ready  mentioned;  infantry  and  cavalry  were  posted  so  as  best  to 
command  this  avenue  of  attack,  and  sharpshooters  stationed 
among  the  scattered  trees,  to  pick  off  the  advancing  assailants. 
The  lane  had  no  outlet,  leading  only  to  ploughed  fields  and  tim 
ber,  impassable  for  cavalry;  if,  then,  the  infantry  stood  firm, 
nothing  could  prevent  the  enemy's  being  cut  to  pieces. 

Such  was  the  situation  as  the  farmer  explained  it  to  Major  Za- 
gonyi.  A  hurried  council  of  war  was  held  ;  would  it  be  well  to 
advance?  There  were  many  reasons  for  a  negative  answer; 
there  was  but  one  for  any  other. 

11  We  have  been  called  'kid-gloved  boys',  and  'fancy  soldiers  for 
the  pavements  of  St.  Louis';  shall  we  show  that  we  are  soldiers 
fit  for  the  battle-field,  and  know  how  to  handle  our  enemies 
Without  gloves  ?" 

Such  was  the  question  which  the  leader  addressed  to  his  men  ; 
there  was  not  one  dissentient  voice  in  the  answer;  he  bade  any 
who  were  sick,  or  tired  with  the  seventeen  hours'  ride,  go  back, 
while  there  was  yet  time ;  but  not  a  man  stirred. 

"  Follow  me,  then,"  he  cried  ;  "  And  let  our  watchword  be, 
'  Fremont  and  the  Union  !'  " 

In  order  to  reach  the  lane  along  which  they  were  to  ride 
against  the  enemy,  it  was  necessary  to  make  a  detour  of  twelve 
miles;  under  the  guidance  of  the  farmer,  this  was  speedily  ac 
complished,  and  they  came  in  sight  of  the  battle-ground.  At 
first,  not  an  enemy  is  to  be  seen  ;  the  column  of  horsemen,  whose 
sabres  and  spurs  clank  as  they  ride,  in  a  sort  of  rough  martial 
music,  seemed  strangely  out  of  place  in  the  still  brightness  of 
the  October  afternoon.  Suddenly,  from  the  woods,  that  glow 
with  all  the  beauty  of  an  American  autumn,  ring  out  four  short 
shrill  reports,  and  four  Guards  reel  in  their  saddles  ;  their  eyes 
glaze  ;  they  fall  to  the  ground.  The  leaves  overhead  still  dance 
in  the  breezes,  though  from  the  same  bough  others  have  flut 
tered,  brown  and  dead,  to  the  ground  ;  the  column  rides  onward 
as  if  none  of  those  composing  it  were  left  behind.  There  is  no 
time  to  halt  now,  for  just  over  that  spur  of  the  hill  they  see  the 
gleam  of  rifles. 

They  ride  on,  and  as  they  pass  the  corner  of  the  wood, 

"  Battle's  magnificently  stern  array  " 
breaks  upon  their  sight.     The  road  slopes  rapidly  downward; 


90 


Zagonyi's  Famous  Charge. 


Zagonyi's  Famous  Charge,  91 

they  must  reach  the  valley  as  soon  as  possible,  and  cnarge  up 
the  hill.  Urging  their  horses  to  a  gallop,  at  the  word  of  com 
mand,  they  follow  their  leader, 

"Into  the  jaws  of  death, 
Into  the  mouth  of  hell." 

Yolley  after  volley  pours  into  their  ranks,  but  at  last  they  have 
gained  the  brook  which  separates  the  two  slopes,  and  they  dash 
wildly  up  the  hill.  There  is  a  momentary  hesitation;  they  can 
hot  tell  why  their  comrades,  the  Scouts,  should  have  deserted 
them  in  this  hour  of  need;  they  do  not  know  that  the  com 
mander  of  the  smaller  body  has  judged  a  flank  attack  advisable, 
and  has  deployed  his  men  for  that  purpose  ;  but  it  can  be  only  a 
momentary  halt,  for  it  is  as  certain  death  for  them  to  pause  here 
as  it  is  for  them  to  dash  onward. 

But  the  wood  was  so  dense  as  to  be  impenetrable;  and  the 
Scouts,  who  had  suffered  from  a  galling  fire  while  making  the 
endeavor,  were  forced  to  desist.  As  they  rode  forward  to  re 
inforce  the  Guard,  they  met  an  officer  of  that  body  riding  bacb 
towards  them  ;  and  gave  tbe  order  : 

"  The  enemy  are  retreating ;  take  your  men  down  that  lane 
and  cut  them  off." 

The  point  indicated  was  the  line  of  connection  with  the  main 
road.  The  order  was  of  course  obeyed,  though  the  information 
proved  to  be  false.  This  movement  left  the  whole  brunt  of  the 
battle  to  be  borne  by  the  Guard.  This  body  was  reforming  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill;  being,  in  this  position,  somewhat  sheltered, 
from  the  enemy's  guns.  As  yet,  they  have  not  struck  a  blow, 
although  suffering  so  severely;  but  the  time  has  come  for  ac 
tion.  Lieutenant  Mathenyi  receives  orders  to  attack  the  ene 
my's  cavalry  with  a  force  of  thirty  men  ;  and  the  little  body  pro 
ceeds  at  once  to  execute  the  order.  The  Confederate  horsemen, 
four  hundred  strong,  are  posted  at  the  edge  of  the  wood;  it 
seems  folly  to  attack  them  with  this  handful  of  men,  but  the 
odds  are  no  greater  than  in  other  parts  of  the  field. 

The  graycoats  wait  to  see  the  meaning  of  such  a  movement — 
a  small  force  detached  from  the  main  one.  Mathenyi's  corps  has 
thundered  up  the  hill  halfway  to  the  summit  before  they  realize 
what  this  desperate  foe  intends  to  do.  Grasping  their  revolvers 
they  pour  their  fire  into  the  advancing  horsemen  ;  but  it  does 
not  cause  a  delay.  Bight  at  the  center  of  the  body  Mathenyi 
hurls  his  men,  their  sabres  gleaming  and  flashing  in  the  sun- 


92  Zagonyi's  Famous  Charge. 

shine.  Dismayed  by  the  unexpected  attack,  the  Kebels  give 
way  an  instant ;  they  cannot  close  up  again,  for  the  Yankees  are 
among  them,  cutting  them  down  like  grass.  Thrown  into  such 
fatal  disorder,  they  can  only  seek  each  man  for  himself,  for 
safety.  They  turn  and  fly,  pursued  in  hot  haste  into  the  corn 
fields  where  they  would  have  taken  refuge  ; 

"  And  down  in  the  corn,  where  the  poppies  grew 
"Were  redder  stains  than  the  poppies  knew." 

Mathenyi  has  disappeared  among  the  enemy's  cavalry ;  there 
is  neither  time  nor  opportunity  to  ascertain  whether  the  attack 
has  been  successful  or  whether  thq  handful  of  men  has  been  cut 
to  pieces ;  the  main  body  has  reformed,  and  Zagonyi  gives  the 
command : 

"In  open  order — charge!" 

The  column  spreads  out  like  a  fan,  and  rushes  madly  up  the 
slope.  A  murderous  fire  pours  down  the  hill ;  but  the  leaden 
hail  seems  unheeded,  save  where,  here  and  there,  the  Guardsmen 
drop  from  their  saddles.  Here  rushes  a  riderless  horse,  mad 
with  excitement  into  which  his  rider  has  guided  him  ;  but  sud 
denly  he  feels  another  hand  on  the  rein,  another  weight  upon 
his  back;  and  is  again  with  his  companions;  leaving  behind  on 
the  grassy  slope,  steeds  and  riders,  "  in  one  red  burial  blent." 

Had  the  Confederate  infantry  stood  their  ground,  nothing 
could  have  saved  the  attacking  force.  Outnumbered,  fourteen 
to  one,  they  had  no  means  of  retreat,  nor  did  they  desire  any. 
But  the  Southerners  did  not  wait  for  the  attack ;  seized  with 
a  deadly  panic,  they  turned  and  fled  into  the  woods,  the  Guards 
spurred  their  horses  amid  the  fugitives,  cutting  them  down  mer 
cilessly.  There  was,  after  the  first  rout,  an  effort  made  to  rally 
the  men,  but  it  proved  ineffectual;  all  that  remained  of  the 
force  was  anumber,  who,  more  determined  than  the  rest,  shelter 
ed  themselves  behind  trees,  and  fired  at  the  horsemen  who  ad 
vanced.  But  even  these  are  soon  put  to  flight  by  the  deter 
mination  of  the  boys  in  blue.  Scattering  from  the  point  where 
they  had  been  stationed,  some  of  the  infantry  endeavored  to 
reach  the  ploughed  fields  near  by,  whither  the  sabred  cavalry 
cannot  follow;  but  many  take  shelter  in  the  fair-grounds,  and 
thence  escape  to  the  town.  They  are  pursued  hotly,  and  the  con 
flict  now  rages  in  the  streets.  Women  and  children  hasten  away 
from  the  dreadful  scene  of  carnage  ;  and  yet,  impelled  by  a  ter 
rible  fascination,  turn  back  to  look  upon  it. 


Zagonyi' $  Famous  Charge. 


93 


In  every  battle  there  must  be,  on  both  sides,  numberless  in 
stances  of  courage  ;  or  there  would  be  no  battle,  but  a  slaughter. 
It  is  sometimes  difficult,  through  a  medium  that  shows  only  one 
side  of  the  question,  to  discern  this  fact ;  and  in  the  recognition 
of  it  consists  the  impartiality  of  a  War  history.  While  the  Con 
federates  were,  in  general,  ignominiously  routed  by  a  handful  of 
men,  there  were  many  of  them  who  did  not  deserve  censure; 
and  among  these  was  a  young  officer  who,  on  that  one  day,  vindi 
cated  the  claim  of  one  man  to  a  place  among  the  chivalry  of  the 
South.  Superbly  mounted,  he  dashed  alone  against  a  squad  of 
Federals  ;  he  breaks  through  their  line ;  one  of  them  goes  down 
before  him;  wheeling,  he  charges  again  upon  the  same  body; 
another  feels  the  weight  of  his  blade,  and  he  escapes  in  safety. 

But  this  was  not  all. 
Feelingthat  much  of  the 
credit  for  the  desperate 
valor  of  the  troops  must 
be  due  to  their  leader, 
he  sought  out  Zagonyi, 
in  the  thick  of  the  fight. 
Charging  a  third  time 
on  the  enemy,  he  level 
ed  his  pistol  at  the  lead 
er,  and  pulled  the  trig 
ger  when  the  muzzle  al 
most  touched  his  side. 
Swaying  to  the  right  as 
he  felt  the  pressure  of 
the  revolver  over  his 

Attack  on  ZagonyL  heart,  Zagonyi  escaped 

the  wound,  and  the  bullet  passed  through  his  cloth 
ing.  As  the  weapon  was  discharged,  the  Federal 
raised  his  sabre,  already  discolored,  and  cleft  his  opponent's 
skull ;  at  the  same  instant  those  who  surrounded  him,  believing 
their  leader  wounded,  pressed  around  the  Confederate  with  their 
flashing  blades,  and  before  he  had  fallen  from  the  saddle,  his 
body  was  covered  with  blood  from  half-a-dozen  wounds. 

Up  and  down,  through  the  streets  of  the  little  city,  rode  the 
soldiers,  seeking  the  scattered  enemy;  most  of  the  Confed 
erate  horsemen,  and  many  of  the  infantry,  had  made  their  way 
to  a  place  of  safety;  but  those  that  remained  were  the  bravest, 


94  Zagonyi's  Famous  Charge. 

the  most  desperate,  who  fought  like  the  Guards  themselves.  At 
last  night  descended,  and  the  fight  was  at  an  end. 

The  assembly  was  sounded,  and  the  troops  gathered  in  the 
public  square  of  the  town — how  changed  from  the  gallant  array 
that  at  noon  had  approached  Springfield.  Then,  every  man  had 
been  mounted  on  a  magnificent,  dark  bay  horse,  chosen  with 
care  from  the  well-stocked  stables  of  the  government;  but  only 
thirty  of  these  animals  bore  their  riders  out  of  the  fight;  the 
rest  of  the  soldiers  were  mounted  on  horses  caught  on  the  field, 
their  Confederate  riders  having  been  killed,  or  were  on  foot.  Nor 
was  this  the  worst.  Seventeen  of  their  number  had  fallen  on 
the  field ;  two  could  not  live  through  the  night ;  twenty-eight 
others  were  more  slightly  wounded ;  and  of  those  who  here  as 
sembled,  and  peered  into  the  powder-stained,  smoke-begrimed 
visages  around  them,  there  was  not  one  who  did  not  wonder  to 
see  so  many  there.  So  desperate  had  been  their  charge  that  it 
seemed  a  miracle  that  any  escaped. 

Expecting  that  the  fugitives  would  soon  reach  the  main  body 
of  the  enemy,  and  that  he  w-ould  be  attacked  by  a  force  which 
he  could  not  resist,  Major  Zagonyi  determined  not  to  attempt  to 
hold  the  town,  but  to  retreat  to  a  distance  of  about  twenty-five 
miles.  This  was  successfully  accomplished,  and  at  last  the 
weary  and  half-starved  soldiers  had  an  opportunity  to  rest  and 
refresh  themselves. 

Thus  ended  a  charge  often  called  in  the  annals  of  the  period, 
"  Zagonyi's  Ride  to  Death."  As  brilliant  an  exploit  as  has  ever 
been  recorded,  it  resembles  in  more  points  than  one,  the  course 
of  a  Docket  through  the  darkness  of  a  July  night.  A  sudden 
flash,  and  it  bursts  upon  our  ast  nished  gaze,  a  miracle  of  radi 
ance  ;  but  in  a  moment  it  has  faded  as  completely  as  a  dream — 
"  left  not  a  wrack  "behind."  The  attack  upon  a  force  so  far  su 
perior  in  point  of  numbers  attracted  much  attention  even  at  that 
Mme,  when  wonders  were  every-day  affairs  ;  but  it  had  no  effect 
upon  the  progress  of  the  war  in  that  part  of  country;  its  only 
result  may  be  summed  up  in  the  words  of  one  of  the  men  there 
wounded,  who  groaned  out  to  a  friend: 

"I  guess  they  won't  call  us  '  kid-gloved  soldiers'  any  more." 


A   VENTURESOME  •VENTURE. 

Too  Venturesome  for  a  Leader — A  Good  Chance — In  Ambush — A  Disappointed 
Party — A  Slim  Chance — A  Woman  in  the  Case — A  Desperate  State  of  Affairs 
— A  Golden  Opportunity — That  Proves  to  be  Less  Golden — A  Division  is 
Brought  Out — Capture  of  the  Scouts — Exchange. 

IN  the  old  days  "  before  the  War,"  so  lovingly  looked  back 
to  by  many  a  one  who  now  finds  himself  growing  old,  it  was 
no  difficult  matter  in  the  South  to  arrange  a  hunt.      As  soon  as 
"  A  southerly  wind  and  a  cloudy  sky 
Proclaimed  it  a  hunting  morning," 

some  enthusiast  would  mount  and  ride  to  the  next  neighbor's 
with  an  informal  invitation  to  the  sport.  So  the  party  would 
grow,  as  they  went  on,  just  as  a  snow  ball  increases.  When  the 
War  broke  out,  the  same  spirit  still  survived,  but  could  only 
vent  itself  in  expeditions  of  daring  and  adventure. 

It  was  so  that  the  scouting  party  grew,  whose  adventures  we 
are  about  to  relate.  Captain  Darrell,  the  leader,  was  a  young 
South  Carolinian,  nominally  attached  to  Gen.  Bonham's  staff, 
but  who,  finding  the  life  of  a  partisan  more  agreeable,  was  re 
lieved  of  the  duties  of  an  aid-de-camp,  and  allowed  to  plan  and 
execute  his  own  movements  as  if  he  regularly  belonged  to  that 
branch  of  the  service.  A  native  of  the  same  state  as  the  Revo 
lutionary  Swamp  Fox,  his  was  a  desperate,  reckless  courage 
which  would  have  done  credit  to  one  of  Marion's  men.  He 
claimed  to  be  extremely  cautious;  but  this  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  well  founded,  for  many  of  his  old  friends  in  the 
South  Carolina  regiments  predicted  many  times  that  he 
would  certainly  be  captured,  and  refused  to  accompany  him  on 
any  more  scouting  expeditions- 
95 


96  A  Venturesome  Venture. 

Such  was  the  man  who,  one  day  in  November,  1861,  learned 
of  an  opportunity  of  harrassing  the  enemy.  The  Federal  forces 
were  at  Langley,  their  pickets  being  somewhat  in  advance  ;  while 
the  Confederates  had  a  picket  post  at  Dranesville,  a  town  made 
memorable  in  the  following  month  by  the  artillery  duel  which 
was  the  first  success  of  the  Northern  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
Capt.  Darrell  received,  from  private  sources,  information  that 
a  Federal  force  was  to  proceed  towards  Dranesville,  probably 
on  a  reconnoissance;  and,  without  an  effort  to  ascertain  the 
strength  of  the  party,  determined,  with  a  few  men,  to  attack  it 
from  the  woods  through  which  the  road  passed,  and  escape  pur 
suit  in  the  confusion  which  would  ensue. 

Following  the  old  plan  for  raising  a  hunting  party,  he  soon 
had,  despite  his  reputation  for  recklessness,  as  many  men  as  he 
desired.  They  were  three  in  number;  Lieut.  Decaradeux,  and 
two  privates,  Carper  and  Coleman.  They  set  out  in  the  after 
noon,  and  stationed  themselves  in  a  position  most  excellently 
adapted  for  an  ambush.  Above  the  road  rose,  on  either  side,  a 
high  bank,  entirely  inaccessible  to  horses,  and  nearly  or  quite 
so  to  the  most  expert  climber.  These  elevations  were  crowned 
with  a  dense  growth  of  lofty  pines.  A  better  covert  could  not 
be  imagined. 

Here  they  waited,  but  the  enemy  did  not  come.  Night  drew 
on,  and  resolving  to  give  up  the  idea  until  the  next  day,  they  left 
their  post  and  went  some  distance  down  the  road  to  the  house 
of  an  acquaintance.  Here  they  passed  the  night,  leaving  just 
after  daybreak.  The  house  stood  some  little  distance  from  the 
main  road,  being  separated  from  it  by  a  field  of  considerable  ex 
tent.  They  were  in  the  midst  of  this  field  when  they  descried, 
far  down  on  the  road  from  Dranesville,  the  head  of  a  column  of 
Federal  cavalry.  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost;  and  a  hurried 
consultation  was  held. 

"They  must  have  passed  us  during  the  night!" 

"Lot's  get  to  the  big  pines  where  we  were  yesterday  as  soon 
as  we  can." 

"  We  can't  do  it  in  safety ;  the  trees  are  half  a  mile  off,  and 
the  Feds  would  see  us  and  fire  on  us  sure." 

"What  are  we  to  do,  then  ?" 

"There's  some  second  growth  just  under  the  hill,  across  the 
road  j  we  might  take  shelter  there." 

They  had  by  this  time  reached  the  edge  of  the  road;  and  the 


A   Venturesome  Venture.  97 

last  suggestion  seeming  the  most  feasible  plan,  they  quickly  act 
ed  upon  it.  The  road  was  crossed,  and  passing  a  small  house 
that  stood  by  it,  they  gained  the  shelter  of  the  young  pines, 
which  were  some  six  or  seven  feet  in  height. 

"  What  are  we  to  do  here,  Captain  ?" 

"  We  must  annoy  them  as  much  as  we  can  ;  they've  been  up  to 
some  deviltry  at  Dranesville,  and  they'll  think  it's  got  abroad 
and  we're  a  large  force  sent  to  ambush  them." 

"Mighty  slim  chance,"  muttered  one  of  the  men. 

"O,  I  don't  know  about  that;  I  shall  fire  into  them  as  they 
pass  ;  and  though  I  am  ready  to  die,  if  necessary,  I  think  we'll 
all  get  off  safely  enough.  They'll  be  considerably  confused  by 
the  attack,  and  while  they  are  getting  ready  to  repulse  the 
strong  party,  we  can  get  away  to  the  big  pines  below,  where 
they  never  can  catch  us." 

"Well,  I'll  stand  by  you,  Captain,"  answered  Decaradeux, 
firmly  and  without  a  moment's  hesitation. 

There  was  a  slight  pause,  and  then,  with  white  faces  but  flash 
ing  eyes,  the  others  added,  in  one  voice  : 

"So  will  I." 

"  Look  to  your  arms,  then,  and  see  that  they  are  in  perfect 
order." 

All  this  time  the  body  of  cavalry  had  been  steadily  approach 
ing.  At  the  head  of  the  column  rode  Gen.  Bayard,  then  rank 
ing  as  colonel,  the  officer  in  command.  In  the  rear  were  the 
Confederate  pickets  and  about  a  dozen  citizens  of  Dranesville 
that  they  had  captured  and  were  taking  back  to  Langley.  They 
were  not  more  than  twenty  yards  away,  when  Darrell  gave  the 
final  order  to  his  men  to  look  to  the  condition  of  their  arms; 
and  as  they  rode  on,  he  sprang  to  his  feet  with  the  words: 

"  Now,  boys,  let  them  have  it." 

As  the  shot  poured  into  their  ranks,  the  men  looked  around 
in  terror,  imagining  that  the  whole  Rebel  army  was  hidden  in 
the  pines.  Many  of  them  had  wheeled  and  were  about  to  beat 
an  ignominious  retreat,  regardless  of  everything  but  personal 
safety,  when  the  voice  of  their  leader  inspired  them  with  more 
courage. 

"Steady,  boys,  steady;  close  up  the  ranks  there;  no  running 
away  1" 

As  he  spoke,  he  spurred  his  own  horse  onward,  closely  fol 
lowed  by  his  staff  officers;  he  advanced  to  a  distance  of  five 


A  Venturesome  Venture. 

yards  from  the  bushes,  when  the  fire  of  the"  Confederates  again 
blazed  forth,  and  his  horse  fell,  carrying  him  also  to  the  ground. 
At  the  same  moment,  two  other  officers  fell,  one  killed,  the  other 
mortally  wounded.  Col.  Bayard  speedily  regained  his  feet,  and 
mounting  the  horse  of  one  of  these  fallen  men,  endeavored  to  re 
store  order  among  his  men. 

But  it  seemed  as  if  they  were  hopelessly  demoralized  by  the 
fatal  effects  of  the  two  volleys,  and  they  had  well-nigh  become 
uncontrollable  when  a  woman,  running  out  of  the  little  house 
which  the  scouts  had  passed,  cried  : 

"  There's  only  four  of  them !  There's  only  four  men  in  the 
bushes/' 

Her  tone  was  imploring,  for  she  was  a  Southern  woman,  a  friend 
of  the  four  men  there  concealed,  and  she  meant  rather  to  plead  for 
them  than  to  encourage  their  enemies ;  but,  half-frenzied  by  the 
thought  of  such  a  small  party  being  attacked  by  so  large  a  force, 
she  did  not  consider  that  she  was  really  betraying  her  friends. 
Her  words,  of  course,  were  far  from  having  the  effect  which  she 
intended.  The  Federals  needed  no  encouragement  from  their 
officers  when  once  assured  that  the  attacking  force  did  not  con 
sist  of  the  whole  Confederate  army;  they  rallied,  and  while 
some  were  dismounted  that  the  bushes  might  be  the  more  thor 
oughly  searched,  others  were  so  disposed  as  to  prevent  the  es 
cape  of  the  enemy  by  flight. 

Matters  had  taken  a  desperate  turn  for  the  scouts;  Decara- 
deux  had  been  wounded  in  the  right  hand,  Coleman  had  a  bul 
let  in  his  side;  the  only  hope  of  safety  lay  in  their  being  able 
to  reach  the  big  pines  where  they  had,  the  evening  before,  wait 
ed  for  this  very  body  of  troops.  But  this  movement  on  their 
part  was  anticipated  by  the  enemy,  for  Bayard  had  completely 
surrounded  the  clump  of  bushes,  and  had,  besides,  filled  it  with 
his  dismounted  men.  It  was,  then,  in  the  midst  of  a  circle  of 
foes  that  was  rapidly  closing  around  him,  that  Darrell  stopped 
under  a  sapling  to  reload  his  revolver.  He  heard  their  yells 
and  howls  around  him,  as  the  traveler  over  the  Siberian  wastes 
hears  the  voice  of  the  wolves  pursuing  him ;  as  the  stag  hears  the 
yelping  and  baying  of  the  hounds.  His  hand,  however,  was  as 
steady  as  ever  in  the  safe  solitude  of  his  tent ;  not  an  unnecessary 
grain  of  powder -was  poured  from  the  flask,  and  as  he  rammed 
the  balls  home  and  rose  from  the  earth,  his  face,  save  from  the 
blazing  eyes,  was  as  calm  as  if  he  were  beside  a  camp  fire. 


100 


A   Venturesome  Venture. 


A  Venturesome  Venture.  101 

The  little  group  had  scattered  when  the  cavalrymen  had  first 
entered  the  bushes,  and  Darrell  was  now  quite  alone.  As  he 
rose  to  his  feet,  he  became  a  target  for  several  of  the  enemy, 
and  the  balls  whistled  thick  around  his  ears.  The  distance  was 
so  short  that  nothing  could  save  him  but  continual  motion  from 
place  to  place.  Darting  from  tree  to  tree,  he  at  last  stood  in  an 
open  space  near  the  road,  and  looking  toward  it  saw  that  a  gap  in 
the  fence  was  guarded  by  a  single  cavalryman.  It  seemed  a  golden 
opportunity.  He  had  answered  with  his  revolver  a  few  of  the 
many  shots  that  had  been  fired  at  him,  and  now  had  but  a  single 
load  remaining;  to  fire  on  this  man  and  hit  him,  might  mean 
escape;  to  fire  and  miss  him  meant  certain  death. 

This  flashed  through  his  brain  instantaneously.  Quick  as 
thought  he  rushed  at  the  horseman,  raising  his  revolver  as  he 
advanced  ;  the  Federal  raised  his  carbine  and  fired,  but  Darrell 
had  expected  and  provided  for  it;  dodging  to  one  side  as  he  saw 
the  cavalryman's  finger  on  the  trigger,  he  sprang  like  a  wild  cat 
at  the  Federal's  throat,  and  with  the  muzzle  of  his  pistol  close 
against  the  breast  of  the  blue  blouse,  fired.  The  Yankee  fell 
like  a  stone  as  Darrell  loosed  his  grasp  upon  his  throat,  and 
the  scout's  hand  was  on  the  rein.  One  moment  more,  and  he 
would  be  in  the  saddle  ! 

His  break  toward  the  road  had  been  perceived  by  some  of  the 
comrades  of  the  man  he  had  killed,  and  they  had  closely  fol 
lowed  him.  Rapid  as  his  movements  had  been,  they  were  up 
with  him  when  he  grasped  the  rein,  having  the  advantage  of  be 
ing  mounted.  A  blow  with  the  butt  end  of  a  carbine,  and  the 
Confederate  lay  senseless  under  the  feet  of  their  horses,  that, 
suddenly  checked  in  their  course,  reared  and  plunged  above  him, 
striking  his  prostrate  body  with  their  hoofs.  One  of  the  men 
threw  himself  from  his  horse  and  bent  over  the  scout. 

"Is  he  dead  ?"  asked  another. 

"Dead  as  a  herring,"  answered  the  first,  rising. 

But  it  proved  to  be  a  livelier  corpse  than  he  thought;  for  Dar- 
rel  had  been  but  momentarily  stunned,  and  now,  as  he  regained 
his  senses,  raised  his  head  from  the  earth 

"Get  up,"  commanded  one,  roughly,  assisting  him  by  the  time 
honored  means  of  grasping  his  collar. 

Dizzy  and  half-blinded,  Darrel  regained  his  feet,  to  find  him 
self  the  center  of  a  group  of  men,  apparently  gathered  from  all 
countries  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  In  his  ears,  that  still  rang 


*05J  A   Venturesome   Venture. 

with  the  force  of  the  blow  he  had  received,  there  now  sounded 
a  perfect  Babel  of  languages.  Recovering  himself  by  an  effort, 
he  wrenched  the  carbine  from  the  hand  of  one  of  the  cavalry 
men  standing  by,  and  was  about  to  club  it,  when  half  a  dozen, 
seeing  his  intention,  snatched  it  from  him  and  again  held  him, 
this  time  more  securely  than  before.  As  they  were  crowding 
about  him,  now  pushing  him  this  way,  now  that,  there  was  a 
little  man  who  held  a  cocked  pistol  in  his  hand,  and  who  was 
endeavoring  to  make  his  way  through  the  group  to  its  center, 
elbowing  his  larger  comrades  right  and  left. 

"  Let  the  Italian  at  him,"  suggested  one,  and  the  cry  was 
speedily  taken  up  by  others. 

"  G-ive  me  a  pistol  and  put  me  in  that  field,"  rejoined  the  scout 
fiercely,  "  and  I  don't  care  whether  it's  an  Italian  or  a  Yankee 
that  comes." 

There  was  a  shout  of  laughter  at  this  defiance,  which  was  re 
doubled  when  another  party  came  up  with  the  cry : 

"  Here's  the  girl  you  left  behind  you  !" 

It  was  Lieut.  Decaradeux,  whose  delicate  features  and  pale 
face  looked  extremely  feminine  under  a  black  oil-cloth  turban, 
with  which  they  had  replaced  his  lost  hat. 

"  Humph  !"  retorted  another,  as  he  saw  the  dignified  air  of  the. 
young  officer,  "that  fellow  looks  like  he  didn't  care  what  the 
price  of  tobacco  was.  Who  is  he,  anyhow?" 

The  question  was  addressed  to  Capt.  Darrell,  who  made  no 
answer. 

The  coarse  raillery  lasted  for  some  time,  being  redoubled  as 
Coleman  was/ brought  up.  Carper  had  succeeded  in  getting 
away.  The  cavalrymen  were  only  silenced  by  the  appearance 
of  a  staff-officer,  who,  riding  up  to  the  group,  addressed  Capt.  Dar~ 
rell,  claiming  him  as  an  old  acquaintance  at  the  University  of 
Virginia.  He  was  Capt.  McKewn,  an  adjutant  of  Gen.  McCall, 
and  once  in  his  care,  of  course,  the  prisoners  were  not  further 
molested. 

As  the  party  approached  Langley,  they  met  a  large  force  of 
Federal  troops ;  it  was  G-en.  McCall  with  his  whole  division.  Hav 
ing  heard  the  firing,  he  had  thought,  as  Bayard's  command  did, 
that  the  reconnoitering  party  had  been  ambushed  by  the  whole 
Confederate  force,  and  having  no  frightened  female  enemy  to 
reassure  him,  had  ordered  all  the  forces  at  his  command  to  march 
to  the  rescue. 


A   Venturesome   Venture.  103 

"  So  you  brought  out  your  division  to  capture  four  men,  Gen 
eral/'  said  Captain  Darrell.  "Was  it  worth  while?" 

Gen.  McCall  looked  at  him  half  angrily  for  a  moment,  and  then, 
relaxing  the  muscles  of  his  face  as  he  saw  the  wicked  gleam  in 
the  prisoner's  dark  eye,  replied  : 

"  I  don't  know.  It  succeeded,  I  believe." 
"Not  quite,"  persisted  Darrell,  "for  one  got  away." 
The  prisoners  were  well  treated  for  the  remainder  of  the 
journey  to  Langley,  whence  they  were  sent  to  Washington. 
There  was  an  effort  made  to  consider  them  as  spies,  and  execute 
them  as  such  ;  and  the  fact  that  the  officer  who  had  been  killed 
was  a  surgeon,  anon-combatant,  was  made  to  seem  a  matter  of 
great  importance;  but  they  showed  that  they  were  on  a  recon- 
noissance  with  a  force  of  four  infantry,  as  Col.  Bayard  had  been 
on  a  similar  errand  with  a  thousand  cavalry,  and  the  plea  was 
admitted  ;  as  to  the  killing  of  the  surgeon,  it  was  evident  that 
if  a  uniformed,  shoulder-strapped  non-combatant  chose  to  ride 
at  the  head  of  a  column  under  such  circumstances,  he  must  take 
the  consequences;  certainly  the  enemy  could  not  be  expected  to 
draw  such  fine  distinctions. 

Cleared,  then,  of  all  accusations  of  a  criminal  nature,  our 
three  scouts  were  remanded  to  the  tedium  of  a  military  prison. 
Here  they  occupied  their  time  in  discussing  the  best  mode  of 
escape  and  in  laying  various  plans,  until  the  officer  in  charge, 
growing  suspicious,  put  them  into  solitary  confinement.  The 
trouble  about  exchanging  prisoners  had  not  then  arisen,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  they  were  duly  conducted,  by  the  flag-of- 
truce  boat,  back  to  the  Confederate  lines. 


GARFIELD'S  DISPATCH  BEARER. 

Marshall's  Invasion  of  Kentucky — Disposition  of  the  Federal  Forces — John  Jor 
dan — The  Precious  Bullet — Summoned  to  Surrender — A  Wild  Break  for  Lib 
erty — Answering  the  Owl — Pursued  and  Treed — A  Lucky  Misstep — The  Er 
rand  Done — Dangers  of  the  Return  Journey — The  Result — Garfield's  Reward 
— John  Jordan's  Reward. 

MARSHALL,  with  his  five  thousand  men,  had  invaded 
Kentucky  in  those  early  days  of  the  war,  when  opinions 
as  to  a  man's  duty  often  trembled  in  the  balance  as  to  whether 
he  owed  most  to  the  individual  State  which  was  his  home,  or  to 
the  country  of  which  that  State  formed  but  a  part.  That  was  the 
time  when  men  waited  anxiously  to  hear  the  news,  hoping  or 
fearing,  as  the  case  might  be,  that  Missouri,  Maryland,  Ken 
tucky,  had  left  the  Union  and  joined  the  Confederacy.  Among 
thesimple-minded  mountaineers  of  thePiedmontregion  went,  not 
only  the  soldiers  of  the  South,  firing  the  younger  men  with  the 
desire  of  bearing  arms  in  a  noble  quarrel,  but  men  eloquent 
with  the  rude  powers  which  might  best  appeal  to  them,  trying 
to  convince  old  and  young  that  this  was  the  right  side.  They 
listened,  but  were  not  convinced.  Many  of  them  had  sons  or 
brothers  already  sworn  to  the  service  of  the  United  States; 
others  were  ready  to  cast  in  their  own  lot  with  them  whenever 
necessity  demanded  it.  But  persuasion  or  compulsion  might,  in 
the  end,  triumph  over  a  sufficient  number  to  turn  the  balance. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  against  which  the  Union  forces 
in  Kentucky  must  contend.  Four  thousand  four  hundred  in 
fantry,  six  hundred  cavalry,  and  twelve  pieces  of  artillery — such 

was  the  measure  of  the  enemy's  strength.     To  contend  with  this 

104 


Garfield's  Dispatch  Bearer.  105 

force,  Gen.  Buell  had  sent  a  young  Ohioan,  who,  besides  his 
own  regiment,  was  in  command  of  the  Fourteenth  Kentucky  and 
the  Fortieth  Ohio,  and  a  small  body  of  three  hundred  cavalry. 
His  own  regiment  and  the  Fourteenth  were  at  Louisa;  the  For 
tieth,  under  Col.  Cranor,  was  at  Paris  ;  and  the  cavalry,  com 
manded  by  Lieut. -Col.  Woolford,  was  at  Stamford.  Between  the 
fourteen  hundred  men  at  Louisa  and  the  eight  hundred  at  Paris, 
there  was  a  mountainous,  rocky  country,  reaching  a  distance  of 
one  hundred  miles  from  one  place  to  another.  Nor  were  the  na 
tural  difficulties  all  that  was  to  be  overcome  :  it  was  in  the 
midst  of  this  region  that  Gen.  Marshall  had  established  his 
forces. 

To  contend  with  the  enemy  with  any  chance  of  success  what 
ever,  it  was  necessary  to  effect  a  junction  of  the  Federal  troops. 
Even  then,  there  were  but  two  thousand  five  hundred  men  against 
five  thousand  •  and  dispatches  must  be  sent  through  a  region 
where  Marshall  had  scouting  parties  in  all  directions. 

But  Col.  Garfield  (for  the  young  Ohioan  spoken  of  was  the 
future  President)  was  not  content  to  so  give  it  up.  If  a  messen 
ger  could  be  found,  he  would  endeavor  to  unite  the  forces  and 
attack  the  Confederates,  hoping  that  a  surprise  and  a  mistaken 
idea  as  to  the  number  of  his  troops  would  do  what  mere  courage 
would  otherwise  find  impossible. 

"Have  you  a  man,"  he  said,  to  the  Colonel  of  the  Kentucky 
regiment,  "who  would  sooner  die  than  betray  his  trust?" 

"Many  of  them,  I  hope,"  replied  the  other,  hastily  running 
over  in  his  mind  the  names  of  those  whom  he  could  put  upon  the 
list. 

"I  want  only  one,"  rejoined  the  senior  officer  anxiously;  and 
in  addition  to  his  reliability,  he  must  be  well  acquainted  with 
the  surrounding  country.  Otherwise,  I  could  send  one  of  my 
Buckeyes." 

"  My  men  are,  as  you  know,  mainly  from  these  rocky  hillsides, 
and  are  wholly  unacquainted  with  anything  else.  They  are 
earnest,  even  enthusiastic  in  their  patriotism,  as,  indeed,  all 
mountaineers  are.  But  I  will  give  you  the  best  of  all — John 
Jordan,  from  the  head  of  Baine." 

The  Baine  is  a  small  stream  which  enters  into  the  Big  Sandy, 
not  far  from  the  point  at  which  the  regiments  were  encamp 
ed. 

"Will  you  send  for  him?     There  is  no  time  to  be  lost." 


106 


Garfield's  Dispatch  Bearer. 


The  mountaineer  was  accordingly  summoned  to  the  Colonel's 
headquarters.  A  tall,  lithe  frame,  a  gaunt  and  sallow  face,  a 
small,  piercing  gray  eye,  a  high-pitched  voice — these  made  up 
the  first  impressions  which  the  Ohioan  received  when  he  first 
saw  the  Kentuckian. 

"  My   man,    I    have   a 
piece  of  work  to  be  done 
at  once,  and  your  colonel 
thinks  that  you  can  do  it 
better  than  any  one  else/" 
The     private      looked 
abashed,  and  saluted 
awkwardly  again,   as    if 
that  were  the  only  reply 
which   he  was    sure  was 
suitable  for  the  occasion. 
"Do  you  knowtheroad 
to  Paris?  Don't  be  afraid 
to  speak  out,  yes  or  no." 
"  I   know    putty    well 
ev'ry  part  of  the  kentry 
round  about  here,  cunnel ; 
an7  I  reckon  I  could  find 
the  way  'most  anywhar." 
"  Would  you,  if  it  was 


A  Piece  of  Work  to  be  Done. 


necessary  for  the  good  of 


the  country,  undertake  to  ride  to  Paris  with  a  message  to  Col. 
Cranor?" 

"  I'll  go  jist  whar  I'm  told  to  go,  cunnel,"  replied  the  soldier, 
gravely,  revolving  the  matter  in  his  own  mind. 

"  I  will  not  send  any  man;"  replied  Col.  G-arfield;  "it  is  too 
perilous  a  journey  for  that.  It  must  be  a  man  who  is  entirely 
willing  to  risk  his  life  for  his  country,  even  when  not  in  strict 
obedience  to  orders.  Only  in  the  case  of  such  a  man  could  I  be 
sure  that  he  possessed  the  courage  and  endurance  necessary  to 
make  the  mission  a  success." 

"I'm  willin'  tcr  do  my  sheer,  cunnel,"  said  the  private,  earn 
estly;  "it's  on  the  Lord's  side,  and  I  don't  drive  no  bargains 
with  Him.  My  life  ain't  mine  ;  its  His'n  •  an'  if  He  wants  it  ter 
help  the  kentry  along,  I  ain't  the  man  to  say  no." 

"  You  mean  you  don't  expect  to  come  out  of  the  war  alive?" 


G-arfield's  Dispatch  Bearer.  107 

"  That's  H,  cunnel." 

"  Will  you  die  before  you  will  let  the  dispatch  be  taken  from 
you  I" 

"  I'll  ale  sooner' n  furgit  what  I  ought  ter  do." 
"Very  well  •  you  must  have  a  carbine,  a  pair  of  revolvers,  and 
the  best  horse  we  can  find  in  either  regiment.      Come  back  here 
at  dark  ready  to  start,  and  I  will  give  you  the  dispatch.       Your 
own  colonel  will  see  that  you  are  armed  and  mounted." 

The  dispatch  was  written  on  tissue  paper,  which  was  then  rolled 
into  the  form  of  a  bullet,  and  coated  with  warm  lead.  When  the 
scout  again  reported  to  Col.  Garfield,  accoutered  as  directed,  he 
was  given  this  sham  bullet, with  the  repetition  of  cautions  and  in 
junctions.  The  short  midwinter  day  (itwas  in  December,  1861)  had 
drawn  to  a  close,  but  the  night  was  a  bright  moonlight  one.  It 
was  necessary  then  to  wait  until  the  moon  should  set.  The  pro 
gramme  was  for  him  to  journey  by  night  and  rest  by  day,  either 
in  the  woods  or  in  the  house  of  some  loyal  man.  Not  a  ray  illum 
ed  the  night  when  he  set  out. 

"I  know  the  road  well,  cunnel,"  he  assured  his  superior,  hav 
ing  by  this  time  gained  sufficient  confidence  to  speak  out  his 
meaning  •  don't  be  afeared  of  my  gittin'  lost ;  I've  druv  mules  to 
market  at  Paris  many  a  time." 

All  night  long  he  rode  through  the  darkness  as  unerringly  ap 
proaching  his  destination  as  if  the  sun  had  shone  with  full  glory. 
When  dawn  came,  he  had  covered  about  twenty  miles,  though  he 
had  not  yet  reached  his  proposed  resting-place,  the  house  of  a 
friend.  At  last  it  was  within  sight ;  and  tethering  his  horse  in 
the  woods,  lest  his  friend's  stable  might  be  searched,  he  presented 
himself  at  the  door  of  the  humble  log-cabin. 

"Kin  you  let  me  stay  here  all  day,  Rachel  ?"  "»he  asked  of  the 
mistress  of  this  dwelling,  who  presented  herself  at  the  door. 

"  Sartin,  John,  ye  kin  stay's  long's  ye  want  ter." 

"  I've  been  a  ridin'  all  night,  an'  I'm  kinder  tired." 

"  Hain't  ye  had  no  breakfus  ?" 

"No." 

"Then  jest  set  right  down  thar  an'  I'll  fry  ye  some  bacon  and 
make  ye  some  egg-bread  in  no  time  ;  an'  then  ye  kin  go  up  stairs 
an'  take  a  snooze." 

The  busy  housewife  bustled  about,  and  true  to  her  promise,  soon 
had  the  meal  prepared. 

"Thar's  lots  of  Secesh  about,"  she  observed,  as  he   drank  his 


108  G-arfield's  Dispatch  Bearer. 

coffee  and  ate  the  homely  viands;    "air  you  putty   strong?" 

"No,  I'm  alone — I'm  carryin'  dispatches  fur  Gunnel  Grarfield." 

He  sank  his  voice  almost  to  a  whisper,  and  glanced  cautiously 
about  him  as  he  revealed  his  errand. 

"  Sakes  alive  !  What  'ud  you  do  ef  they  was  to  git  after  you 
now?" 

"  Run  fur  it,  I  reckon,"  replied  the  scout,  smiling  at  her  fears. 

"  The  woods  is  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away — how'd  you  ever  git 
over  the  clearin'  'thout  being  shot  ?" 

"  If  I  couldn't  run,  I  could  sell  my  life  putty  dear,"  he  mutter 
ed. 

"  An'  Jake's  away,  an'  thar  ain't  a  soul  on  the  place  but  me  an' 
old  Pomp  and  the  critters." 

"  Never  mind  that,  but  let  me  rest  now ;  I  must  be  in  the  sad 
dle  again  as  soon  as  night  comes." 

She  conducted  him  to  the  upper  chamber,  which  was  really  no 
more  than  an  attic,  extending  over  both  the  rooms  on  the  first 
floor.  Here  she  left  him  to  his  slumbers,  and  hastened  down  to 
find  Pomp — old,  black,  ignorant,  but  faithful  as  a  dog  to  hi^  mis 
tress.  Mounting  him  on  a  mule,  she  sent  him  to  scour  the  sur 
rounding  country — Pomp  was  "  on  a  scout." 

The  morning  tasks  were  done,  and  while  the  messenger  slept, 
Rachel  sat  by  the  fireside,  knitting  at  a  coarse  blue  yarn  sock  "for 
the  soldiers" — and  waiting  for  the  return  of  her  emissary.  It 
was  noon  before  he  came. 

"Dey's  comin',  Miss  Rachel!  he  cried,  as  he  climbed  down 
from  his  panting  long-eared  steed;"  'bout  twenty  or  maybe  a 
hundred  Secesh — jest  down  thar  by  the  wood-paster — ridin'  like 
dey  was  'feared  o'  blacksnakes  !" 

Many  an  officer  found  during  the  war  that  the  negroes,  as  a 
class,  had  no  accurate  idea  of  number  ;  but  Pomp's  estimate, 
though  allowing  such  a  wide  margin  for  conjecture,  was  suffic 
iently  to  be  relied  upon  to  alarm  his  mistress.  Darting  into  the 
cabin,  she  slammed  and  barred  the  door  in  the  astonished  dar 
key's  very  face;  and  hastened  to  the  upper  story. 

"Hurry!"  she  cried,  awakening  the  scout;  "the  Secesh  is 
comin'.  Jump  from  the  window  and  run  to  the  woods.  They're 
comin'  the  other  way." 

"  How  many?"  he  demanded. 

"  Twenty.  Hurry,  they'll  be  here  in  a  minit.  Go,  or  yer'll 
be  tuck,  sure." 


Garfield's  Dispatch  Bearer.  109 

"  Rachel,"  he  said,  looking  gravely  down  upon  her,  "tain't 
much  matter  what  becomes  of  me ;  I  ain't  but  one  man,  an'  thar's 
lots  more.  But  every  state  means  thousands  of  men,  an'  this" — 
holding  up  the  sham  bullet — "  this  means  Kaintuck." 

The  terrified  woman  could  only  wring  her  hands  and  looked 
a  mute  appeal,  glancing  first  at  the  window,  then  at  the  ladder 
where  she  half  expected  to  see  the  "Secesh"  entering  the  room. 

"  Ef  yer  love  yer  home,  Rachel,  and  Kaintuck,  and  yer  kentry 
— yes,  an'  ef  yer  love  God  and  the  cause,  will  you  take  keer  o' 
this?" 

"  Yes,  yes,  only  go." 

"  Will  yer  swar  to  do  it,  an'  ter  git  it  ter  Gunnel  Cranor  ef  I 
don't  come  back  agin  fur  it?" 

"  I  swar  it,"  she  replied,  looking  at  the  ladder. 

"  Take  it,  then  ;  maybe  I'll  come  back  fur  it  to-night,  but  if  I 
can't— that's  ef  I'm  killed— you'll  take  it—" 

"  There  they  are!"  she  cried,  sharply,  as  the  horses'  hoofs  were 
heard  in  the  door-yard  •  "oh,  what  fur  did  yer  stop  fur  any- 
thin'?" 

"I  had  to,"  replied  the  scout,  briefly  ;  "  go  ye  to  the  door  and 
see  who  'tis." 

She  descended  obediently,  and  standing  by  the  still  barred  door, 
demanded: 

"What  ye  want?" 

"John  Jordan,  from  the  head  of  Baine,"  was  the  reply. 

No  answer  was  given,  but  Kachel  looked  anxiously  at  her 
guest. 

"  Hurry,  will  ye  ?"  came  the  voice,  again;  "we  know  he's  here; 
he  came  from  G-arfield's  camp,  an'  got  here  at  sun-up  this 
mornin'." 

"John  Jordan,  from  the  head  o'  Baine,"  replied  the  scout, 
"  ain't  ter  be  had  fur  the  axin,'  so  ye  kin  jest  go  'way  as  ye 
come." 

"  Surrender  at  once  !"  cried  a  stern  voice  without.  "It's  too 
cold  a  morning  to  stand  waiting  here." 

"  Ye'll  not  complain  of  the  cold  in  the  place  whar  I'll  send  ye 
if  ye  don't  go  'way,"  retorted  the  man  within. 

"Just  give  us  that  dispatch,  and  we  won't  trouble  you." 

"An'  s'posin'  I  don't?" 

"We'll  swing  you  up  to  the  nearest  limb  that's  strong  enough 
to  bear  you." 


110  Garfield's  Dispatch  Bearer. 

How  had  the  Confederates  discovered  his  arrival  at  this  se 
cluded  cabin  ?  How  did  they  know  that  he  was  the  bearer  of  a 
dispatch  ?  There  were  many  traitors  in  those  days — not  the 
men  who  fought  for  what  they  honestly  believed  was  their  right, 
but  men  who  deliberately  swore  allegiance  to  one  government, 
in  order  to  obtain  its  secrets  for  the  other.  Spies  are,  of  course, 
necessary;  but  we  cannot  wonder  at  the  fate  which  the  laws  of 
war  prescribe  for  him  who  is  discovered  by  the  enemy. 

"Will  you  surrender?"  again  came  the  demand  from  without. 

"My  life,  yes;  thet's  mine — an'  I'll  trade  it  fur  six  o'  your'n; 
but  I  hain't  got  nothin'  else  'at  b'longs  to  me." 

"  Fire  the  house  !"  cried  one. 

"Can't  smoke  him  out,"  returned  another;  "  'taint  in  him; 
an'  we'll  lose  the  dispatch  that-a-way." 

The  resolute  man  within  could  hear  the  murmur  of  their 
voices  as  they  made  various  plans  for  capturing  the  wished-for 
dispatch  ;  but  not  a  word  could  be  distinguished.  Eachel,  gath 
ering  courage  from  his  composure,  waited  breathlessly  for  fur 
ther  developments.  At  last  she  could  stand  it  no  longer. 

"I'll  go  up  stairs,"  she  whispered,  "an'  see  what  they're  do- 
in.'  I  kin  tell  thar." 

The  cabin  had  been  built  after  the  fashion  of  old  times,  when 
reconnoisance  was  often  necessary  before  unbarring  the  door. 
The  floor  of  the  loft  projected  over  the  walls  of  the  lower  story, 
so  that,  by  peering  through  the  chinks  purposely  left,  she  could 
see  what  took  place  in  the  yard  beneath  without  the  slightest 
exposure  to  the  eye  of  the  enemy.  Perhaps  in  that  very  spot 
the  brave  wife  of  a  pioneer  had  once  knelt  to  see  the  movements 
of  the  dusky  savages  of  the  surrounding  forest. 

She  saw  them  gathered  in  a  group  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
door — an  officer  with  a  score  of  men.  Earnestly  they  talked, 
keeping  a  close  watch  over  the  house  meanwhile.  Then  she  saw 
that  their  plans  had  been  made,  for  they  separated.  A  dozen  or 
so  were  posted  as  guards  about  the  house,  while  the  others,  dis 
mounted,  proceeded  to  the  woods  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the 
house.  From  the  window  Bachel  could  see  the  movements  of 
the  latter  group.  Hastily  she  descended. 

"They're  cuttin'  a  saplin'  to  batter  the  door  down  with,"  she 
whispered  excitedly  ;  oh,  what  will  you  do  ?" 

"How're  they  posted  around  the  house?" 

"Thar's  two  here  at  the  door,  an'  the  others  most  anywhar." 


G-ar field's  Dispatch  Bearer.  Ill 

"Ef  I  cud  scare  the  critters  of  these  here  two  at  the  door,  I 
might  run  to  the  barn,  an'  then  to  the  woods;  it's  a  slim  chance, 
though,"  mused  the  scout. 

"  But  the  others  are  thar,  John  ;  what  about  them  ?" 

"  They'd  have  ter  make  their  horses  leap  the  fence,  an'  maybe 
the  brutes  wouldn't  do  it.  It's  a  slim  chance,  but  thar  ain't  no 
other.  Maybe  I'll  come  back  to-night.  Ef  I  don't,  remember 
that  Gunnel  Cranor  must  hev  that  bullet.  Hev  ye  got  a  red 
shawl,  or  anything  of  the  kind?" 

"  Anything  bright  do  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  only  be  quick." 

She  produced  from  her  homely  store  of  clothing,  a  gorgeous 
red  and  yellow  striped  petticoat,  a  garment  worthy  of  the  Pied 
Piper's  wife,  had  he  been  a  Benedict. 

"Now  open  the  door  suddenly,  so  as  to  surprise  them,"  he 
whispered,  posting  himself  where  he  could  spring  out  at  once, 
and  grasping  the  skirt  with  his  extended  hands. 

She  obeyed,  and,  as  she  suddenly  flung  open  the  door,  the 
scout  sprang  forward.  As  he  had  foreseen,  the  horses  reared 
and  plunged,  frightened  into  utter  unmanageableness  by  the 
strange  figure.  Vainly  their  riders  strove  to  control  them  ;  the 
scout  had  so  far  succeeded.  In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it, 
he  had  cleared  the  fence  which  divided  the  door-yard  from  that 
surrounding  the  barn,  and  had  reached  the  barrier  at  the  far  end 
of  the  latter  enclosure.  But  his  enemies  were  not  lacking  in 
vigilance.  The  two  at  the  door  were  unable  to  manage  their 
horses,  but  there  were  ten  besides,  and  these  rode  after  him. 
The  hot  breath  of  the  foremost  horse  fanned  his  cheek  as  he  put 
his  foot  on  the  fence-rail ;  and  the  rider,  stooping  from  his  sad 
dle,  grasped  the  collar  of  his  blouse.  Turning  suddenly,  he 
placed  the  muzzle  of  his  revolver  almost  against  the  gray  jacket 
of  his  enemy,  and  pulled  the  trigger;  instantly  he  fired  again, 
this  time  at  the  horse  of  the  next  nearest  pursuer.  Hardly  had 
the  dead  Eeb  fallen  from  his  saddle  before  he  was  over  the 
fence;  and  he  was  far  on  the  road  to  the  woods  before  the  other 
had  disengaged  himself  from  under  his  horse. 

Once  safe  within  that  wilderness  of  undergrowth,  not  the  whole 
Confederate  Army  could  have  found  him  in  a  day's  search,  unless 
by  the  merest  chance.  He  was  secure  for  a  time;  but  for  how  long, 
was  a  question  not  easily  solved.  The  enraged  Confederates 
could  only  return  to  the  house  with  the  body  of  their  comrade. 


112  Garfield's  Dispatch  Bearer. 

"  We'll  pay  this  back  with  interest,"  they  threatened,  with  set 
teeth;  "and  we'd  burn  this  house  over  your  head  if  it  wasn't  for 
your  husband's  loyalty.  What  do  you  suppose  he'll  say  of  your 
work  to-day  ?" 

For  Eachel's  husband  was  not,  like  Jordan,  an  open  supporter 
of  his  opinions;  formally  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army,  these 
men  did  not  know,  as  she  did,  that  he  was  a  traitor  to  the  South, 
as  one  of  their  number  was  to  the  North. 

Rachel  Brown  could  only  listen  submissively  and  in  silence. 
She  could  not  aiford  to  provoke  them,  for  was  not  the  precious 
bullet  hidden  in  her  bosom  at  that  very  moment?  Surely  they 
would  leave  her  alone  very  soon  ;  and  at  dark  the  scout  would 
return,  and  claim  his  own  again.  But  they  would  be  likely  to 
watch  the  house,  even  if  no  visible  guard  were  set.  How  should 
she  communicate  with  John  Jordan  ?" 

Meanwhile  the  Federal,  lying  concealed  in  the  laurel  thickets, 
had  determined  to  call  her  as  soon  as  it  should  be  safe  to  do  so. 
Night  came  on,  dark  and  drizzly;  the  keenest  eye  could  scarce 
ly  distinguish  objects  two  yards  away.  Little  good,  then,  would 
any  covert  watching  of  the  house  do  the  Confederates. 

Would  Jordan  dare  come  to  the  house?  Hardly — but  what  was 
that  ?  Ah,  it  was  only  the  hooting  of  an  owl  in  the  woods.  Pomp 
had  gone  to  bed  in  his  own  little  cabin,  and  was  sleeping  the 
sleep  of  the  just;  she  was  alone — listen  !  It  is  the  owls  again  ! 
Were  they  ever  so  noisy  ? 

But  if  it  is  only  the  owl's  voice  which  she  hears,  why  does  she 
wrap  herself  in  a  dark  shawl  and  go  out  into  the  blackness  of  the 
night?  Surely  she  is  not  expecting  to  find  the  scout  in  the  dark 
ness,  when  the  Rebs  have  given  up  the  search  in  daylight?  The 
hooting  continues,  and  she  bends  her  steps  directly  towards  the 
point  from  which  the  sound  appears  to  come.  Now,  having 
reached  the  woods,  and  being  close  to  the  bush  on  which  the  owl 
appears  to  be  seated,  she  stoops  and  whispers: 

"  They're  a  layin'  in  wait  for  you  along  the  short  road — take 
the  other." 

"  G-od  bless  you,  Rachel,"  responds  the  quondam  owl;  "you 
are  His  angel,  I  guess — the  messenger  He  sends  me." 

And  the  hooting  was  heard  again,  for  any  cessation  might  be 
tray  them. 

"Here's  the  bullet,  an'  here's  suthin'  to  eat.  Is  yer  critter  all 
right?" 


Garfield's  Dispatch  Bearer. 


113 


"  Good  fur  forty  miles  afore  sun-up.  God  bless  you,  again,  Ra- 
chel,  and  good-bye.  Who,  Who,  Who!" 

And  the  woman  glided  back  to  her  home  like  a  shadow,  while 
the  man,  his  precious  bullet  secured,  mounted  his  horse  and  rode 
away  through  the  dark 
ness.  The  road  which  he 
must  take  was  a  strange 
one  to  him,  and  he  could 
not,  therefore,  judge  of  the 
distance  over  which  he 
passed;  and  although  his 
steed  was  fresh  and  spirit 
ed,  the  road  was  so  full  of 
slush  that  the  animal  could 
make  but  little  progress 
compared  with  what  might 
have  been  done  on  a  hard 
road.  Dawn  came  at  last, 
with  a  damp,  raw  cold, 
which  seemed  to  chill  him 
to  the  very  heart.  A  heavy 
yellow  fog  overhung  the 
earth,  making  it  impossible 
to  see  anything  distinctly. 
Farther  he  dared  not  go  "Who!  Who!  Who!"  The  Feafherless  Owl. 
at  present.  He  had  long  left  behind  him  the  sheltering  laurel 
thickets,  and  was  now  in  the  midst  of  a  grove  where  the  trees 
stood  far  apart,  leaving  the  snow  white  upon  the  ground.  Teth 
ering  his  horse,  he  made  his  way  a  good  distance  back  out  of 
sight  of  the  animal,  as  cautiously  as  he  could,  so  as  to  leave  but 
few  footprints  in  the  snow,  to  a  huge  walnut.  Part  of  the  way, 
to  further  mislead  any  one  who  might  be  passing,  he  adopted 
the  old  pioneer  fashion,  learned  of  the  Indians,  of  walking 
backward. 

Perched  in  the  crotch  of  the  tree,  he  sat  for  two  hours,  waiting 
for  the  fog  to  lift ;  but  still  it  hung  over  the  landscape,  almost  as 
dense  as  ever.  But  long  after  he  had  eaten  the  breakfast  with 
which  Rachel's  thoughtfulness  had  provided  him,  he  heard  the 
sound  of  hoofs,  and  after  awhile  discerned  the  dim  and  ghostly 
forms  of  a  body  of  horsemen. 

They  carried  a  lantern  with  them,  and  seemed  engaged    in 


114 


Gar  field's  Dispatch  Bearer. 


searching  for  something  that  had  been  lost;  but  as  they  drew 
near  enough  for  him  to  distinguish  their  words,  he  found  that 
they  were  examining  the  road  for  some  particular  set  of  foot 
prints.  Here  and  there  the  hoofs  had  sunk  in  the  slush,  and 

left  no  trace ;  but  in 
some  places,  it  appear 
ed,  from  their  remarks, 
to  be  clearly  defined  in 
the  half-frozen  mud,  on 
those  parts  of  the  road 
where  the  snow  had  not 
lain. 

"I  tell  you,  'taint 
here,"  said  one;  "  he's 
tuck  the  other  road.  I'll 
bet  on  it." 

"  'Taint  so,  nuther," 
returned  a  comrade,  sulk 
ily;  "here's  the  print 
again,  plain  as  the  nose 
on  yer  face?" 

"  Sure  'nough,  thar's 
the  print  of  the  cork 
that  some  Yankee  smart 
Aleck  put  in  ter  ease  the 
sand-crack.  Gol  durn  yer 
skin,  what'r  yer  doin'  ?" 

"My  foot  slipped, — 
thet's  what  I'm  doin'; 
but  I'll  hev  yer  to  know 
I  don't  perpose  to  stand 
any  sech  talk.  Ef  yer 

can't " 

"  Gentlemen,  gentlemen,"  interposed  another  voice,  "  this  is 
no  time  for  quarreling  among  ourselves.  We  are  evidently 
wrong  in  following  this  road,  for  I  see  no  hoof-prints  with  the 
mark  of  the  cork.  He  has  taken  the  other  road,  and  we  shall 
have  to  go  back  to  the  fork." 

The  scout's  heart  had  beaten  fast  when  he  heard  the  trooper 
speak  of  the  peculiarity  in  his  horse's  foot-print;  for,  as  the 
Confederate  had  judged,  the  animal  did  have  one  foot  sand- 


Treed,  But  Not  Caught  Yet. 


G-arfield's  Dispatch  Bearer.  115 

cracked,  and  a  cork  in  the  middle  of  the  quarter  had  eased  the 
strain.  He  wedged  the  precious  bullet  tightly  in  the  crotch  of 
the  tree,  and  tucked  a  dry  leaf  over  it;  then  drew  and  cocked 
his  revolver. 

"  They  shan't  git  the  dispatch,  nohow,"  he  told  himself,  as 
with  set  teeth  he  awaited  their  coming. 

But  he  was  too  far  from  the  road  to  be  discerned  through  the 
fog,  and  having  finally  come  to  the  conclusion  that  their  officer 
was  in  the  right,  that  there  was  no  trace  of  him  to  be  found  along 
this  road,  they  mounted  and  returned  to  the  fork,  three  miles 
away,  there  to  follow  the  other  branch.  The  scout,  as  soon  as 
they  were  out  of  hearing,  repossessed  himself  of  the  dispatch 
and  rode  away  in  hot  haste.  No  one  knew  how  soon  they  might 
conclude  that  after  all  the  probabilities  were  in  favor  of  the 
road  which  they  had  so  lately  given  up,  and  return  to  prosecute 
their  search.  His  horse  was  nearly  worn  out,  having  traveled  at 
full  speed  over  a  difficult  country  nearly  the  whole  of  the  long 
winter  night;  but,  by  merciless  urging,  he  got  onward.  He  was 
riding  now  "ter  save  Kaintuck;"  and  if  he  spared  not  his  own 
life,  was  he  likely  to  spare  the  animal  that  he  bestrode? 

Onward  he  rode  through  mist  and  fog,  into  he  knew  not  what 
perils;  but  there  was  certain  danger  behind  him,  or  even  in  de 
lay.  Five  miles  from  his  resting-place  of  the  morning  was  the 
dwelling  of  a  Union  man,  to  whom  he  applied  for  another 
horse,  offering  to  trade,  and  urging  the  necessity  of  the  case. 

"Wai,  now,"  replied  the  stranger,  taking  a  critical  survey  of 
the  proffered  animal:  "I  ain't  achin'  to  trade,  fur 'twould  be 
jest  a  clear  case  of  cheatin'  Uncle  Sam.  Don't  you  trade  that 
horse  off;  'taint  got  a  dozen  equals  in  Kaintuck ;  but  I'll  lend 
you  one,  and  take  keer  o'  this  till  you  come  back  this  way  agin." 

The  scout's  face  had  fallen  when  this  oration  began,  but 
brightened  visibly  toward  the  close. 

"  Let  me  have  your  best  horse,  then,  right  away,  and  may  God 
bless  you  fur  helpin'  ter  save  Kaintuck." 

'*  "Won't  ycr  wait  awhile?  The  old  woman  '11  git  yer  some 
breakfus.'  " 

"No,  I've  no  time  ;  it's  eleven  o'clock  now.  I  must  be  on  the 
road." 

The  horse  was  saddled  and  brought  out.  The  scout  mounted 
and  spurred  away.  Forty  miles  there  were  yet  to  ride,  and  he 
must  keep  straight  to  the  mark.  Twelve  weary  hours  he  urged 


116  G-arfield's  Dispatch  Bearer. 

the  good  steed  onward  before  the  lights  of  Paris  wei>  s^cri,  a 
faint  red  glimmer  on  the  horizon.  In  many  a  home  that  night 
there  was  mirth  and  music,  in  spite  of  the  war  which  was  to  send 
mourning  into  thousands  of  them.  The  echoes  of  the  church- 
bells,  telling  of  peace  upon  earth,  had  scarcely  died  away ;  but 
still  through  the  winter  night  the  scout  rode  onward,  his  ears 
strained  to  catch  any  sound  which  might  betoken  an  approach 
of  his  pursuers,  his  eyes  fixed  eagerly  upon  the  constantly 
brightening  lights  of  Paris. 

Another  hour,  and  he  rode  up  to  Col.  Cranor's  headquarters 
and  delivered  the  dispatch.  By  daylight  the  column  was  on  the 
march,  and  the  necessary  orders  forwarded  to  Stamford. 

But  the  messenger  was  to  return  as  he  had  come — alone.  He 
waited  until  nightfall,  then  began  his  journey,  arriving  early  the 
next  morning  at  the  house  of  the  honest  patriot  who  had  refused 
to  trade  horses.  Here  he  rested  during  the  day,  setting  off  at 
nightfall  on  his  own  thoroughbred,  fresh  and  full  of  spirits. 

But  his  dangers  were  not  yet  over.  Midnight  found  him  riding 
at  a  fast  trot  over  a  road  now  frozen  hard.  But  surely  there  is 
something  beside  yonder  trees  that  in  summer  overshadow  the 
highway;  surely  the  gleam  of  the  starlight  falls  on  something 
beside  ice-covered  branches.  As  he  rides  onward,  peering  about 
him,  from  behind  each  tree  steps  a  confederate,  aiming  directly  at 
him.  They  form  a  long  avenue,  a  score  or  more  on  each  side.  He 
cannot  hope  to  pass  them  ;  so  much  he  grasps  in  an  instant;  and 
is  as  quick  to  see  the  only  possibility  of  escape.  Wheeling  his 
horse  on  his  hind  legs  as  on  a  pivot,  he  drives  in  his  spurs,  bends 
close  on  the  neck  of  the  steed  and  dashes  away.  Instantly  forty 
shots  ring  out  upon  the  clear  and  frosty  air;  forty  shots,  aimed 
by  the  most  expert  marksmen  of  Kentucky,  but  aimed  at  a  flying 
shadow.  ~Not  one  strikes  the  man  ;  but  he  falls  to  the  ground, 
for  his  horse  has  been  killed.  Leaping  to  his  feet,  he  runs  at  his 
utmost  speed,  and  in  a  few  minutes  is  well  within  the  shelter  of 
such  laurel  thickets  as  those  from  which  the  owl  called  to  Rachel 
Brown. 

In  their  recesses  he  was  safe,  as  long  as  he  lay  quiet.  How 
close  a  guard  they  kept  upon  the  road,  he  did  not  know,  but,  af 
ter  two  days,  hunger  and  cold  compelled  him  to  venture  out.  He 
did  not  again  take  to  the  road — being  on  foot,  ne  thought  it  safe- 
estto  keep  to  the  woods — and  sought  out  the  humble  shanty  of  a 
negro.  Here  he  found  refreshment  and  opportunity  for  rest; 


Garfidd's  Dispatch  Bearer. 


117 


and  here,  at  nightfall,  when  it  was  again  comparatively  safe  for 
him  to  go  on,  he  found  a  guide  to  the  stable  of  a  wealthy  South 
ern  man  of  the  neighborhood.  When  in  the  morning  it  was  dis 
covered  that  the  best  o£  his  horses  was  gone,  the  owner  prob 
ably  regretted  deeply  that  he  had  not  offered  it  to  the  cause 
which  he  professed  to  support. 

Being  now  mounted  again,  he  found  it  was  even  yet  no  easy 
matter  to  escape  the  vigilance  of  the  enemy.     More  than  once  he 


The  Steed,  but  not  the  Man. 

lay  concealed  within  hearing  of  their  search,  but  as  often  escaped. 
It  was  at  midnight  on  the  6th  of  January  (he  had  started  at  the 
same  hour  on  the  24th  of  December)  that  he  rode  into  Louisa  and 
sought  Col.  Garfield's  headquarters.  The  officer  had  given  orders 
that  John  Jordan  was  to  be  brought  to  him  at  once,  no  matter 
what  the  time.  It  was  at  his  bedside  then  that  the  report  was 
made. 

"  Have  you  seen  Cranor?"  he  asked,  eagerly. 

"Yes,  Gunnel,  an'  I  reckon  he'll  be  here  in  about  two  days." 

"  You  are  a  brave  and  faithful  soldier,  Jordan,"  returned  Gar- 
field,  "  and  you  have  done  us  a  great  service." 

"  Thank  you,  Gunnel,"  replied  the  scout,  something  in  his 
throat  seeming  to  choke  him  ;  "thet  pays  me  fur  all." 


118  Garfield's  Dispatch  Bearer. 

Three  days  later  Garfield  attacked  Marshall ;  Cranor's  men 
came  up,  and  though  footsore  and  weary  from  the  long  march, 
not  too  tired  to  fight  for  the  Union.  The  result  was  the  Union 
victory  of  Middle  Creek  ;  Col.  Garfield,  who,  to  use  the  Presi 
dent's  words,  "  had  done  in  two  weeks  what  a  regular  army  offi 
cer  could  not  have  accomplished  in  less  than  two  months,"  was 
commissioned  a  brigadier-general;  and  John  Jordan — well,  he 
felt  that  he  had  helped  "  to  save  Kaintuck,"  and  went  down  a 
few  months  later  to  a  bloody  grave,  unmarked,  among  his  native 
hills.  No  man  knows  where  he  sleeps  ;  he  was  only  a  private. 


THE  GKEAT  RAILWAY  RAID. 

The  Georgia  State  Kailroad— The  Backbone  of  the  Confederacy— Going  South- 
Twenty  Minutes  for  Breakfast — An  Unlooked-for  Interruption — A  Bidiculous 
Kace — Cutting  the  Telegraph  Wire — Beauregard's  Powder — A  Dangerous  Delay 
—The  Reason  For  It— A  Fatal  Mistake— First  Signs  of  Pursuit— The  Kace 
Explained — Leaping  Over  the  Obstructions — The  Impossible  is  Done — Unsuc 
cessful  Ruses — A  New  Danger — A  Ray  of  Hope — The  Engineer's  Plan — The 
Captain's — The  Pursuit  on  Foot — Captured — Escape  of  Captain  Andrews — Re 
capture—His  Fate— Fate  of  His  Companions— A  Daring  Escape— The  Presi 
dent's  Praise — The  Missing. 

AS  long  as  the  Georgia  State  Kailroad,  extending  from  At 
lanta  to  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  was  in  successful  work 
ing  order,  there  would  be  but  little  hope  of  ending  the  war  in  a 
manner  acceptable  to  the  Northern  states.  It  was  "  the  back 
bone  of  the  Confederacy  •"  the  means  of  transporting  supplies 
of  all  kinds  to  the  Southern  army;  and  many  a  Federal  com 
mander  studied  to  cut  oif  communication  by  this  route.  There 
are  thirteen  bridges  on  the  line  of  the  road,  and,  were  these 
once  burned,  the  desired  end  would  be  accomplished ;  but  itwas 
an  undertaking  requiring  such  a  combination  of  address  and 
courage  that  only  a  party  of  volunteers  could  hope  to  succeed. 
Nor  must  the  leader  be  an  ordinary  man.  Many  an  officer  rack 
ed  his  brain  to  think  how  and  by  whom  it  could  be  done,  but  up 
to  the  spring  of  1862  no  one  had  done  more. 

The  importance  of  the  undertaking  was  fully  recognized  by 
every  man  in  the  army,  but  there  had  been  no  actual  call  for  vol 
unteers  when  Capt.  J.  J.  Andrews  offered  his  services  for  the  pur 
pose.  Just  at  this  time,  it  was  doubly  important  that  such  a  step 
should  be  taken,  for  Gen.  Mitchel  was  advancing  upon  Chatta 
nooga,  which  would  fall  an  easy  prey  if  no  succor  could  be  sent 

119 


120  The  Great  Railway  Raid. 

from  Atlanta.  Incited  by  his  example,  twenty-one  men  volun 
teered  to  follow  where  he  should  lead  them;  and  the  proffer 
was  gladly  accepted  by  the  officer  in  command. 

The  whole  expedition  was  most  carefully  planned ;  every  link 
must  be  perfect,  for  on  that  chain  of  events  hung  their  lives, 
nay,  more — the  success  of  the  campaign.  There  must  be  no 
repetition  of  the  old  story  —  "For  want  of  a  nail,  the  shoe  was 
lost."  Doffing  their  uniforms,  they  assumed  the  ordinary  dress 
of  the  country  through  which  they  were  to  make  their  way,  and, 
clad  mostly  in  "butternut"  jeans  of  various  shades  and  qual 
ities,  in  garments  of  many  different  styles,  they  set  out.  Of 
course  so  large  a  body  would  have  excited  suspicion,  so  some 
times  singly,  in  some  instances  in  squads  of  three  or  four,  they 
pressed  on  to  Atlanta.  They  were  provided  with  a  ready  answer 
to  all  questions  as  to  whence  they  came,  and  why  and  whither 
they  were  going. 

"Came  from  Kaintuck.  Got  kind  er'  tired  of  the  Lincoln 
style  of  doin*  things,  and  thought  I'd  come  South  and  join  the 
army.  Many  of  our  troops  in  the  neighborhood  ?" 

It  may  readily  be  guessed  that  "our  troops"  did  not  mean 
the  army  to  which  the  questioner  belonged  ;  but  the  reason  for 
leaving  Kentucky,  and  the  inquiry  were  sufficient  to  ward  off  all 
suspicion  ;  and  their  only  difficulty  was  to  escape  from  the  gar 
rulity  of  the  Southerner. 

It  was  the  10th  of  April,  1862,  when  they  met  at  the  rendez 
vous  appointed  by  Gen.  Mitchel,  a  grove  near  Atlanta.  The 
more  completely  to  disarm  suspicion,  they  were  to  separate 
again,  and  take  the  train  at  different  points  ;  most  of  them  leav 
ing  at  Atlanta,  and  the  last  one  becoming  a  passenger  at  Mari 
etta.  All  were  to  find  seats  in  the  forward  car,  and,  of  course, 
to  treat  the  others  of  the  party  as  entire  strangers.  The  follow 
ing  morning,  Saturday,  was  fixed  as  the  time. 

So  well  had  their  plans  been  laid  that  not  an  eye  had  pene 
trated  their  disguise,  Marietta  was  but  a  few  miles  behind  them 
when  the  train  stopped  at  Big  Shanty,  and  the  familiar  announce 
ment:  "  Twenty  minutes  for  breakfast!"  greeted  the  ears  of  the 
hungry  passengers.  There  were  many  who  did  not  leave  the 
cars  ;  here  a  party  of  ladies  and  children  had  brought  a  goodly 
supply  of  luncheon;  there,  an  early  riser  had  breakfasted  before 
leaving  Atlanta,  twenty-eight  miles  away.  Nobody  thought  it 
strange,  then,  that  some  of  the  men  in  the  forward  car  should 


The  Great  Railway  Raid.  121 

retain    their   seats,  or  lunch,  like  the  rest  of  the  travelers. 

The  manager  of  the  railroad  machine  shops  was  on  board  the 
train,  and  he,  with  the  engineer  and  the  conductor,  Capt.  Fuller, 
made  one  of  the  numerous  groups  at  the  long  table  in  the  build- 
ding  which  gave  its  name  to  the  station.  Every  one  had  just 
fairly  settled  himself  to  secure  as  much  as  he  wished  in  the  short 
est  possible  time,  when  Captain  Andrews  arose  and  walked  out 
of  the  car.  There  was  no  obstruction;  everything  fell  in  with 
their  plans.  Hastening  back,  he  entered  the  rear  door  of  the 
car  in  which  his  men  were  seated,  and  walked  slowly  up  the 
aisle.  It  was  the  appointed  signal,  and  the  twenty-one  men 
were  too  alert  and  eager  for  the  work  to  miss  it.  Not  a  moment 
was  lost.  Each  one  knew  what  place,  what  duty  had  been  as 
signed  to  him.  Following  the  officer,  they  reached  the  fore 
most  box-car,  but  not  until  one,  detailed  for  the  purpose,  had 
quickly  withdrawn  a  coupling  pin,  leaving  but  three  freight  cars 
attached  to  the  locomotive  and  tender.  The  passenger  coaches 
were  to  be  left  where  they  were.  Four  of  them,  Capt.  Andrews, 
W.  W.  Brown,  William  Knight  and  Alfred  Wilson,  mounted  the 
engine  ;  two,  who  were  to  act  as  brakemen,  climbed  to  the  top 
of  the  box  cars,  and  threw  themselves  flat;  the  remaining  six 
teen  entered  the  foremost  freight  cars. 

The  camp-guards,  just  aroused  from  their  lethargy,  looked 
curiously  on,  but  did  not  realize  that  anything  was  wrong,  un 
til,  at  a  word  from  Andrews,  Knight  jerked  open  the  steam  valve 
and  the  locomotive  moved  off. 

"  And  then  and  there  was  "hurrying  to  and  fro ;" 

for  every  one  was  anxious  to  find  out  what  had  been  done, 
and  how  any  further  evil  could  be  prevented.  The  alarm  was 
given  to  the  officers  of  the  train,  and  with  quick  energy,  Capt. 
Fuller  rushed  from  the  eating  saloon,  and  shouting,  "Come  on !" 
to  his  companions,  leaped  from  the  platform  to  the  road-bed. 

"  What's  he  going  to  do!"  queried  the  puzzled  bystanders; 
and  as  they  saw  the  three  men  run  after  the  engine,  a  shout  of 
derision  went  up.  It  was  echoed  by  the  party  who  had  captured 
the  locomotive,  as,  when  rounding  the  first  curve,  they  saw  this 
seemingly  ridiculous  effort  at  pursuit. 

Sixteen  miles  an  hour  was  the  schedule  time  of  the  train,  but 
for  some  minutes  this  was  much  exceeded.  The  pedestrians 
were,  of  course,  easily  distanced;  but  there  was  a  messenger 
swifter  than  steam,  and  if  that  were  once  in  chase,  all  might 


122 


The  Great  Railway  Raid. 


still  have  been  lost.  There  was  no  telegraph  station  at  Big 
Shanty,  but  they  did  not  know  how  soon  these  panting  runners 
might  reach  one,  or  whether  there  might  not  be  an  instrument 
which  could  be  attached  in  such  an  emergency.  But  at  such  a 
distance  must  the  wires  be  cut,  that  there  would  be  no  possi 
bility  of  thepoint  beingreached,  until  they  should  have  had  time 
to  cut  the  wire  in  another  place.  Onward  at  full  speed  then 
they  went,  until  the  sudden  announcement  that  the  steam  was  low, 
and  good  time  could  not  be  made.  A  rest  of  three  minutes  was 
sufficient  to  get  the  locomotive  into  first-class  running  order, 
and,  once  more  they  dashed  onward  with  renewed  speed. 

Only  for  a  few  miles, 
however,  and  again  the 
engine  slowed  up.  John 
Scott,  lithe  and  active, 
scrambles  up  the  tele 
graph  pole,  and  knock 
ing  off  the  insulating 
box,  swings  himself  to 
the  ground  by  the  wire. 
Such  damage  might 
easily  be  repaired,  but 
no  wire  can  be  obtained 
to  replace  a  piece  taken 
out  nearer  than  Atlanta. 
Fortunately  a  small  saw 
was  found  on  the  engine, 
and  while  some  occu 
pied  themselves  in  saw- 


Cutting  the  Telegraph  Wires. 


ing  out  a  piece  of  wire  several  yards  in  length — ample  for  their 
purpose — others,  with  a  smooth  iron  bar,  which  was  the  only  tool 
at  hand,  pried  some  of  the  spikes  from  a  rail,  wrenched  it  from 
its  place,  and  laid  it  with  all  the  other  obstructions  near  by, 
across  the  track.  Of  course,  time  was  thus  lost,  but  it  was  not  val 
uable,  for,  until  a  certain  irregular  train  had  passed,  they  must 
keep  to  the  schedule,  and  they  had  gained  on  this  by  shortening 
the  stoppage  at  Big  Shanty,  and  by  their  rapid  run  to  this  point. 
"  I  guess  we've  got  ahead  of  the  lightning  this  time/'  remarked 
one,  as,  with  the  wire  in  his  hand,  he  followed  his  comrades  into 
the  box  car.  "If  they  do  find  out  where  it's  cut,  they'll  have 
to  go  back  to  Atlanta  for  a  piece  to  mend  it  with." 


The  Great  Railway  Raid.  123 

So  carefully  had  they  investigated  the  condition  of  the  road, 
that  they  knew  the  company  had  no  engine  between  Atlanta  and 
Kingston,  sixty  miles  apart.  But,  though  it  seemed  unnecessary 
to  put  more  obstructions  on  the  road,  when  they  had  such  odds 
in  their  favor,  there  was  another  stoppage  made  for  that  pur 
pose.  Indeed,  itfseemed  that  everything  was  going  according 
to  their  wishes;  they  had  been  assured  that  the  chief  difficulty 
would  be  to  obtain  possession  of  the  locomotive^  that  if  that 
were  once  done,  success  would  be  certain ;  and  not  a  single  acci 
dent  had  happened ;  had  it  been  a  pleasure  excursion,  there  could 
have  been  no  smoother  course.  There  war:  no  fear,  then,  of  be 
ing  overtaken,  when  they  stopped  at  Cass  Station  for  wood  and 
water. 

"  What  train's  this  yere  !"  asked  the  tank-tender,  looking  sus 
piciously  at  the  three  freight  cars  without  any  passenger  coaches 
attached.  "  Tain't  Fuller's,  is  it  ?"  ' 

"No,"  answered  Andrews,  readily,  "  I'm  running  a  lot  of  pow 
der  through  to  Gen.  Beauregard  at  Corinth.  Got  to  hurry  up, 
too;  he  wants  it  mighty  bad.  Eeckon  Fuller '11  be  along  in  a 
little  while.  His  train  ain't  quite  due  yet.  Can  you  get  me  a 
time  schedule  of  the  road  ?" 

"Eeckon  I  kin,  if  I  try  right  hard.     Much  powder  aboard  ?" 

"Eight  smart,"  answered  the  disguised  soldier,  and  in  a  mo 
ment  more  the  train  was  on  her  way  again,  provided  with  a 
complete  time  schedule  of  the  road. 

Kingston,  thirty -two  miles  from  Atlanta,  was  reached,  and  here 
a  telegram  from  the  northern  part  of  the  road  bade  "  Fuller's 
train  "  wait  for  the  down  freight,  which  Andrews  had  fully  ex 
pected  to  find  waiting  for  him.  Inwardly  chafing  at  the  delay, 
he  could  only  draw  oif  to  a  side  track  and  wait  for  the  train 
that  was  already  over-due. 

"'Pears  like  you're  in  a  mighty  big  hurry,  "  said  the  station- 
master,  discerning  his  impatience, 

"lam,"  answered  Andrews,  thus  encouraged  to  cast  away 
disguise.  "  For  I've  got  a  lot  of  powder  that  Gen.  Beauregard 
is  in  a  hurry  for." 

"  Pretty  risky  takin'  it  over  the  road  now,  ain't  it?" 

"  Why  should  it  be  any  riskier  now  than  at  any  other  time  ?" 
asked  the  captain,  preparing  to  remount  his  engine,  as  he  saw 
the  delayed  freight  train  approaching. 

The   long    line    of  cars   rumbled   by,  and   the   station  master 


124  The  Great  Railway  Raid. 

pointed  to  a  red  flag  on  the  hindmost,  as  it  disappeared  from  view. 

"  Know  what  that  means  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  it  means  there's  another  train  to  come,"  was  the  re 
ply,  given  from  a  sinking  heart. 

"  And  there's  another  behind  that.  You  see,  that  d — d  Yank, 
Mitchel,  is  coming  down  on  Chattanooga  like  a  thousand  o' 
brick  ;  providing  of  course,  he  kin  git  thar ;  and  all  the  rollin' 
stock's  been  ordered  to  Atlanta." 

"  I  didn't  expect  to  meet  them  here,"  answered  Andrews, 
coolly,"  "I've  got  to  get  through  before  Mitchel  gets  to  Chatta 
nooga." 

"  You'll  have  to  hurry  up,  then,"  was  the  suggestion. 

"I  intend  to,"  was  the  reply,  with  unmistakable  emphasis. 

After  a  delay  of  twenty -five  minutes,  the  last  car  of  the  third 
train  rolled  by,  and  the  track  was  clear.  Onward,  at  a  frightful 
rate,  plunged  the  engine,  as  if  the  very  metal  knew  what  the 
men  directing  its  course  would  have.  The  extra  train,  so  much 
dreaded,  had  passed  close  in  the  wake  of  the  freights  ;  there  was 
another  (passenger)  train  to  be  met  at  Adairsville,  ten  miles 
from  Kingston,  but  finding  this  behind  time,  Andrews  decided 
to  take  the  risk  of  collision,  and  dashed  on  towards  Calhoun, 
ten  miles  further.  Just  as  they  neared  the  station,  the  belated 
train  was  seen  approaching;  but  the  stranger  backed  and  gave 
the  road  to  the  "  special  powder  train." 

They  had  passed  the  bridge  over  the  Etowah  without  destroy 
ing  it,  because  they  thought  at  that  point  in  the  race  the  imme 
diate  gain  of  time  was  the  most  important  thing  ;  but  now  they 
were  approaching  one  which  must  be  burned;  now  they  were 
about  to  commence  the  work  for  which  they  had  volunteered. 
Any  moment  might  bring  the  Ostenaula  River  in  sight,  and 
with  the  long  bridge  which  spanned  that  stream  destroyed  be 
hind  them,  there  need  be  no  fear  of  failure.  But  all  possible 
precautions  must  be  taken  ;  there  were  engines  at  Kingston, 
they  knew  ;  it  was  barely  possible  that  a  telegraphic  despatch 
might  have  been  sent  around  a  wide  circuit  of  two  thousand  miles, 
to  send  in  pursuit  one  of  the  trains  they  had  just  passed.  So  a  rail 
must  be  torn  up ;  this  would  give  them  time,  even  in  such  a  case, 
to  burn  this  bridge.  Again  the  wire,  that,  for  all  they  knew, 
was  even  then  transmitting  their  betrayal,  must  be  severed ;  and 
while  this  was  being  accomplished  by  some,  others  wrenched 
some  of  the  huge  spikes  from  their  rusted  places,  and  endeavor- 


126 


The  Great  Railway  Raid. 


The  Great  Railway  Raid.  127 

«d  to  pull  it  loose  ;  for  their  haste  was  too  great  to  give  them 
time  for  removing  all  the  fastenings. 

But  as  they  worked  with  feverish  energy,  there  was  heard  a 
sound  more  terrible  than  the  growl  of  a  tiger  in  his  native  jun 
gle — the  whistle  of  a  locomotive  behind  them.  The  noise  lent 
new  strength  to  their  muscles,  and  the  rail,  only  half  loosened, 
snapped  like  a  dry  twig.  Losing  their  hold  thus  suddenly,  the 
wreckers  were  precipitated  down  the  embankment;  but  it  was 
no  time  to  think  of  small  disasters,  and  gathering  themselves  up 
hastily,  they  scrambled  into  the  train  again.  Their  only  chance, 
now,  was  to  get  the  bridge  to  burning  well  before  the  pursuers 
could  pass  the  gap  in  the  track. 

What  train  was  it?  Secure  in  his  knowledge  that  there  was 
no  engine  between  Kingston  and  Atlanta,  Andrews  felt  that  it 
must  be  one  of  those  that  they  had  just  passed,  and  was  puzzled 
to  account  for  the  pursuit.  Had  the  long  telegraphic  circle  real 
ly  been  made?  But  the  disclosure  made  at  Kingston  about  the 
freight-trains  reassured  them ;  there  could  be  few,  if  any,  en 
gines  between  them  and  Chattanooga,  and  this  bridge  burned — 

It  is  time  for  us  to  return  to  the  three  men  whom  we  left  run 
ning  after  the  locomotive  as  it  took  its  flight  from  Big  Shanty. 
Theirs  was  not  so  hopeless  an  undertaking  as  at  first  sight  it  ap 
peared.  Possessed  of  a  much  more  intimate  knowledge  of  the 
road,  of  course,  than  Capt.  Andrews  could  command,  Capt.  Ful 
ler  knew  that  they  might  find  a  locomotive  south  of  Kingston. 
True,  the  soldier  had  not  been  misinformed  about  the  location 
of  the  company's  engines,  but  from  a  point  a  short  distance 
above  Big  Shanty  there  was  a  private  track,  some  five  miles  in 
length,  leading  to  some  extensive  iron  mines  and  furnaces  on 
the  Etowah  ;  and  on  this  branch  line  there  was  an  engine  be 
longing  to  the  owner  of  the  mines.  Of  course  Andrews  could 
not  know  of  the  existence  of  this  unimportant  line,  and  had  not, 
therefore,  taken  it  into  his  calculations;  otherwise,  he  would, 
at  any  risk,  have  burned  the  bridge  over  the  Etowah. 

The  three  men  had  not  run  many  hundred  feet  before  they 
came  to  the  place  where  the  telegraph  had  been  cut;  and  just 
beyond  this  point,  they  espied  a  hand-car.  This  was  a  most  val 
uable  acquisition,  for  with  it,  by  hard  work,  they  could  make 
seven  or  eight  miles  an  hour ;  and  speed  was  the  more  necessary, 
as  they  could  not  tell  where  they  should  find  the  locomotive 
— whether  at  the  main  road  or  five  miles  from  it,  at  the  mines. 


128  The  Great  Railway  Raid. 

With  perspiration  streaming  from  their  bodies  they  worked  at 
the  hand-car,  and  it  went,  as  we  may  well  believe,  at  the  utmost 
speed  of  which  such  a  machine  is  capable.  So  anxiously  did 
they  look  far  ahead,  so  resolutely  did  they  work,  that  the  sec 
ond  obstruction  in  the  track  was  not  perceived,  and  the  whole 
party,  with  their  car,  were  flung  headlong  from  the  track.  No 
bones  were  broken,  however,  and  lesser  injuries  were  disregard 
ed;  the  hand-car  was  soon  lifted  on  the  track,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  more  they  had  reached  the  junction  of  the  two  lines. 

ISTever  was  sight  more  welcome  than  that  of  the  "Yonah," 
standing,  fired  up,  on  the  main  track,  headed  for  Kingston.  On<? 
wild,  hoarse  shout  from  the  three  throats  showed  that  they 
were  not  yet  exhausted,  and  they  hastily  mounted  the  engine ; 
the  engineer  readily  giving  place  to  the  men  urging  the  neces* 
sity  of  acting  for  the  Government.  Onward  to  Kingston,  then, 
they  flew,  congratulating  themselves  that  they  had  arrived  at 
that  moment;  for  five  minutes  later,  the  locomotive  would 
have  left  again  for  the  mines. 

Kingston  was  reached,  but  there  was  no  fugitive  train  in  sight. 

Three  long  freights — the  Yonah  cannot  pass,  and  there  is  no 
time  to  be  lost.  On  a  side  track,  joining  the  main  one,  beyond 
the  freight  trains,  stood  a  small  engine  fired  up,  and  although 
it  is  but  weak  and  has  very  small  wheels,  it  is  better  than  the 
Yonah,  because  in  a  more  available  position.  It  was  seized  and 
urged  onward  at  its  utmost  speed ;  the  fireplace  was  crammed  with 
wood,  and  because  it  was  too  small  to  hold  the  fuel  necessary 
for  great  speed,  an  abundance  of  oil  was  used.  Onward,  faster, 
faster  still,  until  a  keen  eye  discovered  a  break  in  the  track  ahead 
— a  rail  was  gone.  One  could  have  been  torn  up  from  the  track 
behind  them  and  laid  in  the  place  before  the  engine,  but  that  would 
have  consumed  too  much  time.  Impatient  to  be  going  onward, 
it  seemed  better  to  go  forward  on  foot,  and  risk  finding  another 
engine,  than  to  lose  so  much  time  there.  Again  they  run  along 
the  road,  and  at  last  the  freight-train,  which  the  raiders  had 
passed  at  Adairsville,  came  thundering  on.  Taking  command 
of  this  train  at  once,  Fuller  backed  it  rapidly  to  Adairsville, 
uncoupled  the  greater  part  of  the  cars,  and,  tender  first,  made 
the  ten  miles  to  Calhoun  in  twelve  minutes.  The  .Texas,  the  en 
gine  now  in  their  possession,  was  one  of  the  largest  and  fastest 
on  the  road,  and  the  result  was  almost  certain. 

At  last  the  stolen  locomotive  was  in  sight,  and  almost  as  if 


The  Great  Railway  Raid.  129 

she  had  been  possessed  of  human  joy,  the  Texas  gives  the  long 
scream  of  defiance  which  so  startled  Andrews'  party.  Onward 
she  plunged  in  mad  pursuit  of  her  prey.  But  yonder,  in  the 
track  before  them,  what  was  that?  A  blank,  not  the  whole 
length  of  a  rail,  but  still  a  blank  that  might  prove  fatal !  It  was 
too  late  to  stop  the  engine,  at  so  fearful  a  rate  were  they  going; 
"faster,  faster/'  Fuller  signaled  to  the  engineer.  Fortunately,  it 
was  on  the  inside  of  the  track;  if  it  had  been  on  the  outside 
nothing  could  have  prevented  the  wreck  of  the  pursuing  train. 
As  it  was,  the  increased  rate' of  speed  sent  the  Texas,  with  a 
bound,  over  the  blank. 

Onward  dashed  the  foremost  train,  the  men  in  it  congratulat 
ing  themselves  upon  the  delay  which  the  broken  rail  would  oc 
casion  their  pursuers.  Still,  they  looked  anxiously  back.  It 
was  but  ss  chance,  after  all,  if  they  should  succeed,  and  failure 
meant  more  than  death;  that  chance  was,  whether  it  would  take 
the  enemy  longer  to  replace  the  broken  rail  than  it  would  take 
them  to  render  the  bridge  impassable. 

"  O  my  God !"  exclaimed  the  fireman. 

"  What  is  it,  Wilson?"  asked  the  others,  struck  by  his  tone 
of  dismay  and  astonishment. 

"They're  still  in  chase,  "  he  replied,  despairingly. 

" Impossible  !"  broke  from  their  lips,  as  from  one  man,  and 
they  looked  at  each  other  for  reassurance.  Surely  the  enemy 
was  not  still  in  pursuit;  he  could  not  so  soon  have  replaced  the 
broken  rail. 

"  There's  the  smoke  from  their  fire,"  he  answered,  pointing 
back. 

"Ani  nearer,  clearer,  deadlier  than  before," 

the  whistle  of  the  Texas  broke  upon  their  ears.  Had  a  mira 
cle  been  wrought  against  them?  How  had  that  broken  rail 
been  passed  ? 

There  was  yet  a  possibility  of  stopping  them  without  losing 
much  time  in  the  flight.  They  were  now  upon  a  steep  down 
grade,  where  it  would  be  difficult  to  check  so  large  and  heavy 
an  engine  as  that  in  pursuit ;  so  in  the  hope  of  wrecking  it,  the 
hindmost  of  the  box-cars  was  uncoupled  and  left  on  the  track. 
It  was  but  little  more  than  the  truck;  the  top  and  sides  had  been 
used  as  fuel;  but  they  hoped  it  might  serve  to  delay  the  enemy. 
It  was  a  hope  doomed  to  disappointment,  for  the  Texas  picked 
it  up  and  steamed  on  in  their  wake,  gaining  on  them  every 


130  The  Great  Railway  llaid. 

minute.  Again  the  ruse  was  tried,  but  again  it  failed  of  its  ob 
ject.  Soon  the  bridge  over  the  Ostenaula  was  visible  —  the 
bridge  that  was  to  be  the  first  to  be  given  to  the  flames,  but  so 
close  were  the  pursuers  that  they  dared  not  pause,  even  to  burn 
it,  and  they  rushed  on. 

The  enemy  must  be  delayed,  and  after  they  had  gone  a  few 
miles  further,  they  stopped  and  braced  up  a  rail  under  a  cross 
tie,  with  the  projecting  end  down  the  road.  It  was  a  loss  of  time 
that  could  ill  be  spared,  but  at  last  it  was  done,  and  the  flight 
Continued. 

Again  they  had  failed  to  produce  the  desired  result;  the  Texas 
dashed  onward,  the  small  dark  rail  invisible  to  even  the  watch 
ful  eyes  of  the  men  upon  her ;  fortunately  for  them,  the  obstruc 
tion  was  lightly  cast  aside  by  the  cow-catcher,  though  a  slight 
change  in  its  position,  a  difference  of  an  inch  in  height,  might 
have  thrown  her  from  the  track.  As  an  eagle  darts  upon  a  falcon 
that  holds  in  its  beak  a  tempting  morsel,  the  Texas  seemed  to 
swoop  down,  pitilessly,  certainly,  upon  her  prey. 

It  was  a  strange  sight  that  the  wayside  stations  saw  that  day 
— a  locomotive  with  a  single  truck  attached,  dashing  onward 
like  a  flash,  followed  at  equal  speed  by  two  longer  trains;  for 
two  other  engines  with  their  attached  cars  had  taken  up  the 
chase,  and  were  close  in  the  wake  of  the  Texas.  "Was  it  a  party 
of  madmen  on  the  first?  The  loungers  on  the  platform  could  not 
tell,  nor  could  they  imagine  a  more  reasonable  explanation.  Only 
the  twenty-two  Federal  soldiers,  crowded  into  the  cab  and  the 
nearly  empty  tender,  could  tell  certainly  ;  though  Fuller  and  his 
companions  might  have  given  a  shrewd  guess. 

But  a  new  element  of  danger  was  now  to  be  considered  :  Dai- 
ton,  twenty-two  miles  from  Calhoun,  was  the  junction  of  this 
line  and  another;  of  course  they  could  not  destroy  telegraphic 
communication  on  both  roads,  or  even  seriously  interrupt  it; 
no  matter  which  wire  is  cut,  along  the  other  will  soon  flash  from 
the  pursuers  to  their  comrades  north  of  them,  the  message  of 
capture,  failure,  perhaps  of  death  !  Looking  back  they  conld 
see  that  their  pursuers  were  armed  to  the  teeth ;  the  truck  of 
what  had  once  been  the  first  box-car,  the  only  one  remaining,  and 
the  tender,  afforded  them  no  protection  ;  it  was  with  a  sick 
ening  sense  of  having  committed  some  fatal  error  that  they  real 
ized  why  no  balls  came  whizzing  past — their  pursuers  were  cer 
tain  of  taking  them  alive. 


The  Great  Railway  Raid.  131 

There  was  no  chance  of  accomplishing  the  end  of  their  expe 
dition  by  destroying  the  bridges  on  the  road;  they  must  go  at 
full  speed  for  their  very  lives.  But  one  hope  yet  remained,  the 
one  car  still  attached  to  their  engine  had  served  them  well  in 
protecting  the  superfluous  men  from  the  curious  scrutiny  of  the 
station  masters  and  others  with  whom  they  had  passed  as  hands 
of  a  powder  train  ;  its  top  and  sides  were  the  only  fuel  yet  remain 
ing  to  them  ;  but  it  must  do  yet  more.  As  they  approach  a  long 
covered  bridge,  they  slacken  their  speed ;  the  car  has  already 
been  set  on  fire,  and  just  as  they  enter  the  bridge  it  is  uncoupled. 
Carried  onward  by  the  impetus  it  has  acquired,  it  reaches  the 
middle  of  the  bridge  before  it  finally  stops;  and  by  that  time 
the  engine  is  once  more  dashing  over  the  solid  road  beyond  the 
stream.  As  they  round  the  curve  north  of  the  bridge,  they  see 
the  black  smoke  of  the  Texas  approaching  the  entrance.  One 
crash,  and  it  will  be  over;  the  road  hopelessly  blocked,  the  pur. 
suers  delayed,  perhaps  killed;  the  bridge,  it  may  be,  destroyed. 
They  strain  their  ears  to  hear,  above  the  noise  of  their  own 
engine,  that  terrible  sound  which  would  be  so  welcome;  but  it 
does  not  come.  The  pursuers  are  as  determined  as  the  pursued ; 
there  is  no  lack  of  skill  in  handling  their  engine,  or  in  removing 
obstacles  from  the  track;  the  blazing  car  is  pushed  before  the 
locomotive  until  a  side  track  is  reached;  then  the  road  is  clear  ; 
and  with  redoubled  energy  the  Texas  bounds  onward. 

More  than  a  hundred  miles  had  the  exciting  race  continued, 
and  both  engines  were  nearly  exhausted.  The  foremost  one, 
however, as  will  be  remembered,  had  run  further  than  the  other; 
besides,  she  was  smaller  and  weaker,  less  fit  for  such  a  run,  and 
had  been  less  carefully  oiled.  As  the  natural  and  inevitable  re 
sult  of  this  lack  of  care,  and  her  rapid  rate  of  traveling,  the 
brass  on  boxes  and  journals  had  actually  melted,  her  tires  were 
red-hot,  and  every  joint  was  loose.  She  could  hold  out  but  a 
little  while  longer,  and  that  only  at  a  speed  which  would  per 
mit  her  to  be  easily  overtaken. 

A  hurried  council  of  war  was  held  by  the  men,  whose  smoke- 
blackened  faces  were  stern  with  the  shadow  of  defeat. 

"There's  only  three  or  four  on  that  engine,"  suggested  one, 
"and  they  seem  to  want  to  fight — all  fixed  for  it.  We  could 
easily  beat 'em;  it's  five  or  six  to  one." 

"  But  what  would  be  the  use  of  that?"  asked  the  leader,  more 
than  doubtfully,  "we  can't  whip  the  whole  Confederacy;  and 


132  The  Great  Railway  Eaid. 

their  engine  must  be  pretty  nigh  as  bad  as  this,  so  we  could  not 
get  off  on  that.  You  must  remember  there's  two  others  behind 
this  first  one." 

"  Their  engine  ain't  anything  like  as  bad  as  ours,"  said  the 
engineer;  "and  if  we  could  get  hold  o'  that  one,  we  could  run 
it  back  and  wreck  the  second,  and  the  third  could  pick  up  the 
pieces  while  we  get  off." 

But  Capt.  Andrews  shook  his  head  decidedly. 

"It  can't  be  done,"  he  said;  "it's  too  big  a  risk;  we'll  have 
to  leave  the  road  and  take  to  the  woods — 'Every  man  for  himself 
and  God  for  us  all.'  " 

The  old,  heartless,  selfish  proverb  took  a  new  meaning  as  this 
man  spoke  it;  who  knows  but  it  was  a  prayer  from  the  reckless, 
daring  heart  of  the  leader  for  those  who  had  followed  him  into 
danger? 

The  soldierly  habit  of  obedience  prevailed  over  the  American 
habit  of  independent  thought  and  action,  and  the  engine  was 
run  yet  a  few  miles  further,  to  give  them  all  as  good  a  start 
as  possible.  They  were  now  fifteen  miles  from  Chattanooga. 
The  locomotive  slackened  speed,  but  did  not  wholly  stop;  man 
after  man  jumped  from  it  as  it  moved  slowly  onward  through 
the  pine  woods,  until  but  one  man  was  left.  The  pursuers  were 
four  hundred  yards  behind  when  he  reversed  the  engine,  and 
following  his  comrades,  disappeared  in  the  vast  and  trackless  for 
est.  Then  the  locomotive  steamed  backward,  like  the  last  mis 
sile  hurled  by  the  hand  of  a  dying  man;  but  again  their  efforts 
to  obstruct  the  pursuers'  course  failed,  and  the  Texas  stopped 
but  a  moment  to  pick  up  the  engine,  whose  power  was  almost 
spent  when  it  reached  her. 

The  flight  through  the  woods  was  but  a  short  one.  Dismounting 
from  the  engine  as  soon  as  he  saw  what  their  plans  were,  Fuller 
pressed  into  service  a  sorry  looking  mule,  the  first  steed  that 
presented  itself;  and  with  a  rope  for  a  bridle,  and  no  saddle, 
continued  the  pursuit;  joined  as  he  went  on,  by  all  the  idlers  in 
the  neighborhood. 

As  the  story  of  the  chase  spread,  men  left  every  occupation 
to  assist  in  the  work  of  the  government;  and  soldiers  and  citi 
zens  combined  to  hunt  the  poor  fugitives.  Such  was  the  numeri 
cal  power  of  their  pursuers,  that  Andrews  and  his  scattered  force 
would  have  had  but  little  chance  of  escape,  even  if  the  advan 
tage  of  a  superior  knowledge  of  the  country  had  not  been  with 


134 


The  Great  Railway  Raid. 


The  Great  tiailway  Raid.  136 

the  Tennesseeans.  As  it  was,  the  odds  were  overwhelming.  One 
after  another  was  captured,  until  the  whole  party  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  Confederate  authorities  at  Chattanooga,  and  lodged 
in  the  jail  in  that  city.  Here,  hand  cuffed  and  chained  together 
in  groups  of  twos  and  threes,  they  lay  for  a  week  uncertain 
what  was  to  be  their  doom. 

It  came  only  too  soon.    Just  a  week  had, 

•'  Like  a  wounded  snake,  dragged  its  slow  length  along," 

when  Andrews  was  condemned  to  death.  This  was  their  first 
intimation  that,  although  they  had  been  engaged  in  a  legitimate 
military  enterprise,  they  were  to  be  treated  not  as  prisoners  of 
war,  but  as  spies. 

Capt.  Andrews  made  a  desperate  effort  to  escape  when  he 
learned  the  sentence  that  had  been  passed  upon  him,  and  suc 
ceeded  in  so  far  eluding  the  vigilance  of  his  guards  as  to  get  be 
yond  the  walls  of  the  jail,  beyond  even  the  outskirts  of  the 
town.  But  the  man  who  could  plan  and  so  nearly  execute  such  a 
daring  project  was  too  dangerous  a  foe  to  be  allowed  to  escape  in 
this  way;  the  whole  garrison  joined  in  the  hunt,  aided  by  those 
dreadful  allies  of  the  man-hunters,  bloodhounds.  Once  on  the 
track,  the  capture  was  but  a  question  of  time  ;  surely  these  hun 
dreds  could  overtake  the  one  half-starved  fugitive,  flying  through 
a  hostile  country  with  which  he  was  but  imperfectly  acquainted. 
The  event  soon  proved  that  theirs  was  not  a  mistaken  estimate; 
soon  the  bloodhounds  were  at  his  throat,  only  to  be  called  off 
by  the  pursuers  in  human  form. 

Torn  and  bleeding,  and  so  heavily  chained  that  he  could 
hardly  move  the  limbs,  once  so  powerful,  but  now  weakened 
by  hunger  and  fatigue,  he  was  taken  back  to  Chattanooga. 
But  there  was  danger  that  Gen.  Mitchel  might  advance  upon 
this  point;  so,  "  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,"  he  was 
taken  to  Atlanta  for  execution.  Over  the  self-same  road 
where,  such  a  little  while  before,  the  exciting  run  had  taken 
place  ;  then,  leaving  Atlanta  with  high  hopes  of  rendering  good 
and  much-needed  service  to  his  country,  now  approaching  it  with 
the  certainty  of  speedy  death,  in  its  most  ignominous  form;  then, 
with  a  thought  of  the  bride  whose  hand  awaited  him  on  his  re 
turn — a  thought  banished  to  make  room  for  stern  duty;  now, 
with  the  knowledge  that  she  would  be  widowed  before  she  was 
a  wife.  But  most  of  all,  it  was  the  form  of  death — the  punish 
ment  of  malefactors,  the  synonym  of  disgrace. 


136  The  Great  Railway  Raid. 

The  people  of  Atlanta  were  gathered  in  solemn  rejoicing 
about  the  scaffold.  No  one  under-estimated  the  force  of  the 
blow  which  the  success  of  the  expedition  would  have  given  the 
Confederacy,  and  yet,  an  eye-witness  tells  us: 

"  There  was  perfect  order ;  no  jeers,  no  taunts,  no  unseemly 
behavior  to  mar  the  deep  solemnity  of  the  occasion." 

The  joy  of  the  people  at  the  triumph  of  their  cause  grew 
silent,  as  they  looked  upon  the  brave  soldier  of  the  enemy, 
about  to  die. 

Farther  we  need  not  follow  him.  We  leave  him  in  the  sight 
of  the  scaffold,  and  return  to  those  companions  whom  we  left  in 
the  jail  at  Chattanooga.  Twelve  of  them  were  in  a  short  time 
removed  to  Knoxville,  where  a  court-martial  was  to  decide  their 
fate;  day  after  day  the  trial  dragged  on,  the  prisoners  being 
tried  singly.  The  same  defense  was  offered  for  all;  that  if  they 
were  in  citizens'  dress,  it  was  the  same  that  the  Confederate 
government  had  authorized  the  guerillas  to  wear;  that  they 
were  sent  for  a  purely  military  purpose,  for  the  accomplishment 
of  an  object  recognized  as  legitimate  by  the  rules  of  war;  that 
they  should  be  treated,  not  as  spies,  but  as  prisoners  of  war. 

The  defense  was  not  accepted  by  the  majority  of  the  judges, 
and  in  military  courts  a  unanimous  verdict  is  not  necessary  to 
conviction  or  acquittal.  Seven  had  been  tried  and  condemned, 
when  the  rapid  advance  of  Gen.  Mitchel  upon  Chattanooga  re 
called  to  their  regiments  the  officers  composing  the  court-fnar- 
tial.  Hardly  an  hours'  notice  of  their  execution  was  given  to 
the  seven  condemned  men,  before  they  were  led  to  the  scaffold, 
to  die  as  their  leader  had  died. 

"  We  would  not  care  so  much  to  be  shot  as  soldiers,  but  to  be 
hanged  like  dogs  is  a  burning  shame." 

Such  was  the  protest  offered  by  one ;  he  only  spoke  as  Nathan 
Hale  had  spoken  seventy-five  years  before,  and  with  as  little  ef 
fect  upon  his  hearers. 

So  uncertain  were  the  fortunes  of  war,  so  rapid  and  perplex 
ing  the  movements  of  Gen.  Mitchel,  that  the  fourteen  who  had 
not  yet  been  tried  were  removed  to  the  more  secure  prison  at 
Atlanta.  Here  they  found  friends  in  the  negroes  employed 
about  their  place  of  confinement.  As  soon  as  the  faithful  crea 
tures  learned  that  the  one  thing  most  desired  was  news  from  the 
outer  world,  they  contrived  to  smuggle  newspapers  in  and  out 
of  the  jail  every  day,  by  concealing  them  in  the  trays  of  food. 


The  Great  Railway  Raid.  137 

So  the  summer  and  autumn  passed  slowly  by,  until,  one  dayr 
the  provost-marshal  informed  them  that  he  had  received  a  letter 
from  the  Secretary  of  War  at  Richmond,  asking  why  all  of  the 
"  engine  thieves"  had  not  been  hanged;  that  an  order  for  their 
immediate  execution  would,  in  all  probability,  speedily  follow. 
He  was  not  mistaken.  Replying  that  they  awaited  the  orders 
of  the  Secretary,  he  speedily  received  instructions  to  execute 
them  at  once. 

Narrowly,  during  the  long  days  that  had  preceded  the  exe 
cution  of  this  order,  had  they  watched  for  a  chance  of  escape, 
but  in  vain.  So  vigilant  were  their  keepers  that  they  dared  not 
attempt  it,  for  failure  would  entail  worse  treatment.  However, 
there  can  be  no  punishment  equal  to  death,  and  now  that  all 
hope  was  gone,  they  determined  to  make  one  last,  desperate  ef 
fort.  Seizing  and  gagging  their  jailor,  they  wrenched  the  keys 
from  his  grasp  and  rushed  down  stairs.  They  came  upon  the 
guards  before  any  alarm  could  be  given,  overpowered  them  by 
main  force,  and  possessed  themselves  of  their  guns. 

Scaling  the  walls  which  surrounded  the  prison,  they  fled 
through  the  streets,  past  the  scattered  houses  of  the  suburbs, 
into  the  woods.  A  regiment  was  speedily  ordered  out  to  pur 
sue  them,  with  orders  to  take  them,  dead  or  alive. 

The  fugitives  had  no  time  for  consultation ;  they  knew  only 
that  they  must  separate,  for  they  were  too  few  for  defense,  and 
yet  enough  to  excite  suspicion.  Two  pushed  in  a  southerly  di 
rection,  and  after  almost  incredible  adventures,  reached  the 
shores  of  the  Gulf— the  Star-Spangled  Banner  waved,  before 
their  eyes,  over  a  U.  S.  gunboat;  never  to  shivering,  starving 
men,  with  bleeding  feet  and  half-frozen  limbs,  flying  from  a  dis 
graceful  death,  did  any  sight  appear  so  beautiful. 

Two  went  westward,  hiding  by  day  in  the  thick,  moss-cover 
ed  trees,  that  even  winter  could  not  rob  of  their  protecting 
power;  and  journeying  with  feverish  haste  by  night  until  Cor 
inth,  then  in  the  hands  of  the  National  troops,  was  safely 
reached. 

Two  others  made  their  way  northward  by  slow  and  painful 
stages,  having  to  contend  with  a  greater  degree  of  cold  than 
their  comrades,  who  did  not  leave  the  extreme  South.  For 
three  weeks  they  journeyed  on,  not  daring  to  leave  their  hiding 
places  by  any  light  but  that  of  the  stars;  living  upon  roots 
found  in  the  woods  and  raw  sweet  potatoes  dug  from  the  fields^ 


138  The  Great  Railway  Raid. 

save  when  some  secret  sympathizer  with  the  Union  would  extend 
a  trembling  hand  to  help  them.  At  last  they  reached  a  point  in 
Kentucky  which  was  held  by  the  Federal  forces,  and  were 
thence  returned  to  their  regiments,  where  they  were  received  as 
if  they  had  come  from 

"  That  undiscovered  country,  from  whose  bourne 
No  traveler  returns." 

Six  were  recaptured,  taken  back  to  Atlanta,  and  thence  to 
Richmond.  Why  the  sentence  of  death  was  not  executed,  we 
are  not  told  ;  perhaps  the  authorities,  at  first,  determined  to 
wait  until  all  had  been  retaken,  and  then,  as  this  proved  a  futile 
hope,  forgot  them.  Many  times  their  hearts  beat  high  at 
the  report  that  they  were  to  be  exchanged,  until  at  last  they 
came  to  disregard  all  such  rumors.  They  had  sunk  into  apathy 
when  there  came  an  order  from  headquarters  directing  that  they 
be  placed  on  a  flag-of-truce  boat  the  next  morning,  to  be  trans 
ported,  with  others,  to  the  Union  lines,  to  be  exchanged.  The 
sullen  calmness  with  which  they  had  learned  to  endure  life  vanish 
ed  at  once  in  a  wild  rejoicing.  Soon  they  were  once  more  safe 
ly  beneath  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  that  floated  over  the  flag-of- 
truce  boat.  Honorable  and  affectionate  was  the  welcome  that 
awaited  them — they  had  earned  it  all;  and  when  they  saw  the 
tall,  gaunt  form  and  homely,  kindly  face  of  the  President,  and 
heard  his  words  of  praise  and  gratitude,  they  could  but  think  of 
the  eight  who  lay  in  dishonored  graves  in  the  far  South,  whose 
fate  they  were  yet  to  learn ;  and  regret  that  all  had  not  been 
there,  to  share  in  the  reward. 

We  have  traced  the  fate  of  twenty  —  eight  to  the  scaffold, 
twelve  to  liberty  again;  and  twenty-two  hadvolunteeredfor  the 
undertaking.  The  story  of  those  two  has  never  yet  been  told — 
their  wanderings  in  the  forest,  their  sufferings  from  hunger  and 
cold,  their  hopes,  their  fears,  their  despair — nor  will  it  be  told 
until  the  sea  gives  up  its  dead,  and  from  many  a  nameless  and 
unknown  grave  shall  then  come  forth  their  long-forgotten  ten 
ants.  Perhaps  long  afterward,  two  whitened  skeletons  essayed 
to  tell  the  tale  to  adventurous  hunter  or  pioneer  farmer,  but  in 
a  land  where  war  had  lately  been,  he  could  not  read  it  aright. 


A  SOLITARY  SCOUT. 

His  Errand — In  the  Enemy's  Country — A  Cordial  Reception — A  Mistaken  Crowd — 
Cool  Impudence — The  Gunboats  for  Land  Use — A  Yankee  Trick — Decidedly 
Brilliant — A  Horse  in  Church — A  Scared  Justice — A  Friendly  "Warning — 
Asleep  in  the  Storm — In  a  New  Role — The  Guest  of  a  Regiment— An  Unsuc 
cessful  Attempt — Pursued  by  Bloodhounds — Running  Water — A  Novel  Bed — 
A  Dusky  Friend — A  Feast — A  Horse  and  Buggy  Impressed — Arrived  in  Style 
— Safe  in  Camp. 

/"^ORPORAL  PIKE,  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  Cavalry,  was  al- 
\_J  ready  most  favorably  known  to  his  superior  officers  by  his 
scouting  services,  when,  early  in  April,  1862,  he  was  dispatched 
by  G-en.  Mitchel  to  Decatur,  Alabama,  to  gather  information 
regarding  the  strength  of  the  enemy,  and,  if  possible,  to  destroy 
the  railroad  bridge  at  that  point.  He  went  alone,  as  he  would 
thus  be  liable  to  less  suspicion,  and  would  be  better  able  to  es 
cape,  if  pursued,  than  if  accompanied  by  a  small  force ;  while  a 
large  one  was,  of  course,  out  of  the  question. 

His  solitary  ride  was  attended  by  no  adventure,  until  he  drew 
near  Fayetteville,  Tennessee.  Night  overtook  him  before  he 
reached  the  town,  and  turning  aside  from  the  road  he  made  him 
self  comfortable  in  the  woods.  Bright  and  early  the  next  morn 
ing  he  rode  into  Fayetteville.  He  had  not  attempted  to  disguise 
himself,  and  was  in  full  blue  uniform;  but  this  was  a  dress  often 
assumed  by  the  Confederates,  just  as  gray  or  butternut  was  don 
ned  by  the  Federals  when  occasion  demanded. 

His  boldness  in  riding  up  to  the  hotel  and  ordering  breakfast 
for  himself  and  suitable  attention  for  his  horse,  made  the  crowd 
that  speedily  collected  believe  him  a  Confederate  in  disguise. 
Perceiving  this,  he  determined  to  take  advantage  of  it.  Return 
ing  to  his  room  after  having  seer*  that  his  horse  was  cared  for, 

139 


140  A  Solitary  Scout. 

he  found  about  three  hundred  men  on  the  sidewalk  in  front  of 
the  hotel.  Hailing  him  as  he  approached,  one  asked : 

"  What  is  your  name,  sir  ?" 

"James  Pike." 

"  Of  what  regiment  ?" 

"Fourth  Ohio  Cavalry." 

The  men  in  the  crowd  cast  significant  glances  at  each  other,  as 
much  as  to  say  that  he  had  it  all  cut  and  dried,  but  couldn't  fool 
them — no,  sir. 

"Where  is  your  command  ?"  inquired  another. 

"  At  Shelbyville." 

"What  are  you  doing  here  alone,  then,  so  far  fram  your  regi 
ment?"  demanded  a  third. 

"Well,  sir,  if  you  must  know  it,  I  came  to  demand  the  sur 
render  of  the  town." 

As  the  cool  impudence  of  the  statement  dawned  upon  them, 
the  crowd  indulged  in  a  hearty  laugh  at  the  idea  of  one  man's 
capturing  a  town  like  that,  and  from  lip  to  lip  passed  the  whis 
per: 

"  He  must  be  one  of  Morgan's  men." 

"  O,  of  course  he's  not  what  he  says  he  is ;  he  wouldn't  dare." 

He  sat  down  to  the  breakfast  table,  at  which  several  Confed 
erate  officers  were  regaling  themselves,  and  made  a  hearty 
meal.  Then,  going  out  into  the  crowd  again,  he  asked  of  one 
who  seemed  to  be  a  man  of  authority : 

"  Can  you  tell  me,  sir,  where  I  can  see  the  mayor?" 

"  The  mayor?     May  I  ask  what  you  want  with  him?" 

"  I  want  to  demand  the  surrender  of  the  town." 

By  this  time  the  crowd  were  prepared  to  enter  into  the  joke, 
and  one  answered  : 

"  We  couldn't  think  of  surrendering  until  we  see  your  gun 
boats  coming  along.  A  Yankee  is'nt  half  a  soldier  unless  he  has 
a  gunboatto  back  him." 

"  The  gunboats  will  be  along,  you  needn't  be  afraid,"  answered 
the  Federal. 

"  How  are  they  going  to  get  here?"  asked  another,  looking 
around,  with  pretended  anxiety  for  the  water  which  was  to  trans 
port  them. 

"  O,  Gen.  Mitchel  has  just  had  some  made  by  a  new  pattern,  in 
tended  to  run  on  land,  and  they  are  made  with  steel  soles  and 
spring  runners/'  replied  the  corporal,  gravely. 


A  Solitary  Scout.  141 

""Well,  he'll  have  to  show  us  how  they  work,  before  this  town 
will  surrender  to  one  man." 

"  O,  he  used  them  with  great  effect  at  Bowling  Green  the 
other  day;  hadn't  you  heard  of  it?" 

"Say,  if  you're  a  Yankee,  show  us  a  Yankee  trick;  then  we'll 
believe  you,"  suggested  one. 

"Maybe  I  will  before  I  go." 

"Well,  you  might  as  well  own  up,  and  tell  us  where  the  Cap 
tain  is." 

"Yes,  do;  we'd  like  to  know  the  best  in  the  world." 

"What  Captain  do  you  mean,  gentlemen  ?" 

"  Why,  Captain  Morgan,  of  course." 

"  Well,  I'm  sorry  I  can't  tell  you,  but  I  really  don't  know.  I 
am  Corporal  James  Pike,  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  Cavalry,  and  am 
;not  informed  of  Captain  Morgan's  movements." 

There  was  a  general  laugh  at  this  disavowal  of  the  character 
which  they  persisted  in  believing  was  his  true  one,  and  Corpo 
ral  Pike,  having  ordered  his  horse,  mounted  and  galloped  off 
toward  Huntsville,  while  they  were  still  in  a  good  humor.  Just 
as  he  rode  off,  one  called  out  to  him: 

"Where's  the  Yankee  trick  you  promised  to  show  us  ?" 

"Just  wait  awhile  and  you'll  see  it,"  he  called  backc 

Riding  five  miles,  he  came  to  Wells'  Hill,  where  there  is  a 
fork  in  the  road;  one  leading  to  Huntsville,  and  the  other  to 
Decatur.  As  he  turned  his  horse's  head  to  take  the  latter,  he 
saw,  coming  along  a  branch  of  that  leading  to  Huntsville,  a 
wagon  train.  He  immediately  decided  that,  as  there  was  no 
guard  with  the  train,  this  was  the  opportunity  for  his  "Yankee 
trick."  He  changed  his  course  then,  and  went  to  meet  the 
train. 

"  Drive  that  wagon  up  here  close  by  the  fence,"  he  ordered 
the  driver  of  the  first. 

"When  did  you  get  to  be  wagon-master?"  asked  the  driver. 

"  When  you  put  your  musket  out  of  reach  of  your  arm  as  you 
drove,"  he  answered,  his  finger  on  the  trigger  of  his  revolver. 
"  Drive  up,  I  say." 

Without  further  question,  the  man  did  as  he  was  bid,  and  the 
drivers  of  the  other  wagons  prudently  followed  his  example. 
The  wagon-master  was  some  distance  behind  the  train,  but 
spurred  up  when  he  saw  the  stoppage,  and  asked,  in  language 
more  forcible  than  polite,  what  was  the  meaning  of  this. 


142  A  Solitary  Scout. 

"It  means  that  you'd  better  get  up  into  that  fence  corner 
d — d  quick/'  answered  the  soldier.  The  wagon-master  carried 
revolvers  in  his  belt,  but  what  are  a  dozen  so  disposed,  to  one, 
cocked,  in  the  hand  of  your  opponent,  pointed  directly  at  you? 
He  was  quickly  disarmed;  then — 

"  What's  in  those  wagons?" 

"  Fodder,"  answered  the  wagon-master;  "  don't  you  see  it?" 

" What's  underneath  the  fodder?" 

No  one  answered  for  a  moment;  then  one  of  the  drivers  sa'id 
that  it  was  bacon —  four  thousand  pounds  on  each  wagon. 

"All  right;  it  isn't  Fourth  of  July,  but  I  guess  we'll  have  a 
bonfire  now,  for  fear  you  don't  have  one  then,"  answered  the 
soldier. 

Taking  some  matches  from  his  pocket,  he  deliberately  set  fire 
to  the  dry  corn-blades  and  other  fodder  with  which  the  meat 
was  covered,  and  soon  a  bright  blaze,  accompanied  by  a  thick 
black  smoke,  rose  in  the  air.  The  men  in  the  fence-corner  dared 
not  move;  the  drivers  had  left  their  muskets  in  the  wagons,  and 
wore  no  side-arms;  neither  they  nor  the  wagon-master  dared 
make  a  movement  towards  them.  The  fire  grew  hotter  and 
fiercer;  no  long  time  was  required  to  consume  such  combusti 
ble  material,  and  the  wagons  were  soon  so  far  destroyed  that 
there  was  no  possibility  of  saving  them  or  any  portion  of  them. 
Turning  then  to  the  men  who  still  stood  in  the  fence-corner,  he 
ordered  the  wagon-master  to  mount  his  horse  and  the  drivers  to 
mount  the  mules  which  had  been  harnessed  to  the  wagons,  and 
had  them  ride  before  him  to  the  junction  of  the  two  roads  lead 
ing  to  Fayetteville.  Halting  here,  he  said  to  them: 

"Now,  you  ride  into  town  as  fast  as  you  can  go.  I  am  going 
to  count  one  hundred,  and  if  you're  not  out  of  sight  as  soon  as 
I  have  finished,  I'll  shoot." 

But  long  before  he  had  completed  the  count,  they  were  out  of 
sight,  and  he  free  to  turn  down  the  road  to  Decatur.  Riding  rapid 
ly  until  he  had  put  about  ten  miles  between  himself  and  Wells' 
Hill,  he  came  to  a  small  country  church.  It  was  Sunday,  and 
the  congregation  was  most  devoutly  listening  to  the  sermon;  but 
in  that  congregation  there  might  be  Confederate  soldiers.  De 
termined,  like  a  prudent  general,  to  leave  no  enemy  in  his  rear, 
and  yet  knowing  that  it  might  be  dangerous  to  dismount  in  or 
der  to  investigate,  he  spurred  his  horse  up  the  two  or  three 
steps  that  the  floor  of  the  building  was  raised  above  the  ground, 


A  Solitary  Scout. 


143 


right  into  the  middle  and  only  aisle.  As  the  horse's  hoofs 
struck  loudly  upon  the  floor,  the  congregation  started  from  its 
attitude  of  rapt  attention,  the  preacher,  whose  hand  was  raised 
and  in  the  act  of  coming  down  with  a  thump  upon  the  pulpit, 
paused  in  the  sermon  and  the  gesture,  to  look  at  the  singular 
spectacle  of  an  armed  horseman  in  a  church. 

"  Sorry  to  interrupt  you,  sir,"  he  said,  addressing  the  preach 
er;  "are  there  any  Southern  soldiers  in  the  church!" 

"  I — I  believe  not,  sir,"  replied  the  startled  divine,  turning 
his  eyes  instinctively  to  the  back  door,  which  stood  open. 

Suspecting  that  there  had  been  Southern  soldiers  in  the  build 
ing  a  few  moments  ago,  and  that  the  back  door  ha.d  been  their 


means  of  exit,  he  directed  the 
preacher  to  offer  a  prayer  for  the 
President  of  the  United  States,, 
backed  his  horse  out  of  the 
building,  and  rode  on,  realizing  that  in  rapid  movement  was 
his  only  safety  from  an  aroused  country,  and  he  saw  that  he  had 
already  disturbed  the  worshipers  only  too  completely.  Soon, 
however,  he  met  two  unarmed  Confederates,  who  were  leisurely 
riding  along  to  church,  not  dreaming  of  a  roaming  Yankee 
knight  so  far  within  the  lines. 

"Halt!"  came  the  order,  speedily  obeyed.  He  demanded  their 
names,  regiments  and  companies  ;  and  having  received  the  de 
sired  information,  said  to  them  : 

"  I  am  very  sorry  for  it,  but  it  is  so  fur  outside  our  lines  that 


144  A  Solitary  Scout, 

there   is   only   one   way   left  for   me   to  dispose    of  you." 

"  My  God  !"  exclaimed  one  ;  "  you  don't  mean  to  shoot  us  ?" 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  but  it  can  not  be  helped ;  it  is  the  only 
thing  that  can  be  done,  as  I  see." 

"I pledge  you  my  honor  I  will  go  with  you  in  good  faith," 
said  the  other. 

"  It  seems  mighty  hard  to  be  shot  down  without  a  chance  of 
defending  yourself,"  murmured  the  first. 

Corporal  Pike  did  not  answer  for  a  moment,  being  apparently 
lost  in  thought.  Then,  reluctantly  : 

"Well,  if  you'll  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United 
States,  I  guess  I'll  let  you  go." 

To  this  they  agreed,  and  holding  up  his  right  hand  and  re 
moving  his  cap,  he  caused  them  to  uncover  their  heads  and  lift 
their  right  hands  to  heaven.  But  it  seemed  like  blasphemy, 
this  adininstering  an  oath  when  he  had  no  right  to  do  so,  and 
having  tested  their  willingness,  he  said  to  them  : 

"Well,  gentlemen,  I  guess  I'll  rely  on  your  honor  to  do  noth 
ing  towards  pursuing  me  or  giving  information  of  me." 

And  with  lightened  hearts  they  rode  on  to  church.  Proceed 
ing  on  his  way,  he  met  and  very  much  frightened  an  old  man 
riding  to  Fayetteville,  who  admitted  that  he  was  going  thither 
to  try,  as  judge,  a  number  of  cases,  chiefly  "political;"  court 
opening  the  next  day.  Knowing  the  meaning  of  the  word  as  used 
in  those  times,  the  scout  took  a  delight  in  scaring  the  old  man 
considerably,  and  sent  him  flying  on  to  Fayetteville  at  a  greatly 
increased  speed.  Pushing  on  rapidly  then,  until  he  had  passed 
several  houses,  he  reached  a  shallow  creek.  Judging  it  advisable 
to  leave  the  road,  and  to  put  all  possible  pursuers  oif  his  track 
as  far  as  possible,  he  guided  his  horse  into  the  stream,  and  a 
considerable  distance  along  the  current;  so  that  it  might  not  be 
easily  determined  just  where  he  had  left  the  road. 

The  creek  led  him  into  the  woods ;  and  here  he  rode  along  by 
paths  until  nearly  sunset,  when  he  saw,  through  the  trees,  an 
old  man  crossing  the  road  which  he  had  left.  Checkinghis  horse, 
he  waited  until  the  nevr  comer  should  be  vithin  easy  speaking 
distance. 

"  Bless  my  soul  !'*  exclaimed  the  old  man,  as,  quietly  thread 
ing  his  way  and  looking  intently  forward,  he  saw  the  horseman 
coming  suddenly  in  front  of  him0 

"  You  wouldn't  have  seen  me  if  I  hadn't  spurred  TI\  then,  and 


A  Solitary  Scout.  145 

showed    myself,   I  guess,"    said   the    soldier,   with    a    laugh. 

"I  reckon  not,  sir;  I  reckon  not;  wouldn't  have  seen  you  at 
all." 

"  Do  you  know  who  I  am  ?" 

The  old  man  looked  intently  at  him,  but  said  not  a  word.  Fi 
nally  the  corporal  spoke : 

"  I  am  a  Federal  soldier — " 

"  Bless  my  soul !     Are  you,  though,  sure  enough  ?" 

"  Don't  I  look  like  one  ?"  was  the  Yankee  answer  given  him. 

"  Yes,  you  do,  but — do  you  know  you're  in  danger,  sir?" 

"  Anything  particular  ?" 

"  There's  twelve  of  Young's  Tennessee  Cavalry  and  fifteen 
mounted  citizens  out  now  after  a  man  that  they  say  lias  been 
raising  a  disturbance  up  the  country." 

"  Well,  do  you  think  they  want  me  ?"  asked  the  soldier 

"It  looks  like  it.  You  kind  o'  answer  to  the  description  they 
give." 

"  A  man  that's  been  raising  a  disturbance?"  asked  the  soldier. 

"  In  every  way.  You'd  better  hide  somewhere  until  dark,  for 
the  whole  country  will  soon  be  alarmed." 

"Are  you  a  Union  man,  sir?" 

"  Every  inch ;  you  may  depend  on  me.  IsTow  I'll  tell  you  what 
you  can  do.  But,  first,  will  you  keep  to  your  horse?" 

"  I  guess  not ;  it  would  give  them  a  better  chance  to  see  me  and 
hear  me.  Do  you  know  of  any  place  where  I  could  leave  him  and 
be  likely  to  get  him  again?" 

"Yes;  there's  a  Union  man  lives  down  here  in  the  woods — it 
isn't  on  any  road  ;  he'll  take  care  of  the  horse  for  you." 

And  he  gave  the  Federal  directions  for  reaching  the  house. 
Leaving  his  horse  here,  he  struck  out  for  Decatur,  keeping  care 
fully  to  the  woods,  and  guiding  his  steps  by  the  sun.  Butitwas 
already  late  when  he  had  been  cautioned  about  his  pursuers,  and 
slowly,  but  surely,  the  red  glow  faded  out  of  the  western  sky. 
Nor  was  this  the  worst.  Though  here  and  there  the  trees  were 
so  thick  as  completely  to  intercept  all  light  from  above,  yet,  at 
other  points,  a  more  open  space  would  have  allowed  him,  on  a 
clear  night,  to  shape  his  course  by  the  stars;  but  the  sky  was 
heavily  overcast;  there  was  a  portentous  stillness  in  the  air,  and 
suddenly  the  storm  burst  upon  him.  Shelterless,  friendless,  in  a 
strange  country,  and  weary  from  the  long  ride,  he  wrapped  him 
self  in  his  rubber  blanket,  and  throwing  himself  upon  the  ground, 


146  A  Solitary  Scout. 

which  was  already  soaked  with  the  rain,  slept  soundly  until 
morning. 

The  rain  fell  in  torrents  all  night,  and  when  he  awoke  at  the 
hour  of  reveille,  he  was  wet  to  the  skin.  He  had  no  rations  with 
him,  had  had  no  food  since  the  breakfast  at  the  hotel  the  previous 
morning,  and  could  not  tell  where  it  would  be  safe  to  stop  to  get 
some.  Making  his  way  toward  the  railway,  he  followed  it  until 
about  ten  o'clock,  when  he  stopped  at  a  house  by  the'roadway 
and  asked  for  something  to  eat. 

"  Yes;  I  suppose  we  can  find  something  for  you  to  eat,"  was 
the  ungracious  reply,  given  in  a  tone  which  implied  that  the 
speaker  supposed  he  would  be  obliged  to  provide  it. 

Such,  indeed,  was  the  tenor  of  all  the  few  sentences  his  hosf 
could  be  induced  to  utter.  Such  behavior  naturally  made  Pike 
believe  that  he  was  in  the  house  of  a  violent  Southern  man  ; 
though  he  found  afterward  that  his  host  was  Union  in  principle, 
but  distrusted  him,  believing  him  a  Confederate  in  disguise.  But 
if  this  belief  lost  him  a  friend,  it  probably  saved  him  from  cap 
ture.  He  had  not  been  in  the  house  long  before  some  cavalry 
men  rode  up  to  the  door  and  demanded  refreshment  for  man  and 
beast. 

"  Hello,  bluecoat,"  cried  one  as  they  entered  the  door  of  the 
room  where  he  was  eating,  "  who  might  you  be  ?" 

"Well,  I  might  be  a  Fed,  only  I  aint,  you  see." 

"Don't  see  it.     Who  in  the  devil  are  you,  if  you  aint  a  Fed  ?" 

"  Well,  I  used  to  run  a  ranch  in  Texas,  but  some  of  my  steers 
tossed  me  clear  to  Alabama  to  fight  the  Yanks." 

"  What  are  you  doing  with  that  uniform  on  ?" 

"I'm  obeying  orders;  and  one  of  my  orders  is  to  keep  dark 
about  why  I'm  in  blue.  Do  you  see  it?" 

"  I  reckon  so,"  with  a  laugh. 

"  Then  just  go  one  better,  and  I'll  call — Who  are  you  ?" 

"Second  Tennessee  Cavalry,  Company  A." 

"What  happened  to  Company  A,  that  there  ain't  no  more  of 
it?" 

"O,  the  rest  are  in  camp,  near  Decatur." 

"  Guarding  the  bridge,  hey  ?" 

"Not  exactly  ;  that  is,  not  altogether;  we're  rather  scattered." 

"  Better  look  out  for  Mitchel ;  he'll  be  down  on  you  like  a 
thousand  of  brick  and  burn  that  bridge  before  you  know  it." 

"If  he  could  cor-ie  down  like  one  of  the  gunboats,  he  might 


A  Solitary  Scout.  147 

burn  it  up,   sure  enough  ;  but  that  is   not  very  likely." 

"  Don't  they  keep  it  well  guarded  ?" 

"  O,  I  reckon  there's  enough  to  stand  their  ground  against 
anything  less  than  a  brigade,  and  they  could  soon  get  reinforce 
ments  if  they  found  themselves  getting  the  worst  of  it.  But 
what  makes  you  so  worried  about  the  bridge,  Texas?  Heard 
anything  ?" 

"  ~No  ;  nothing,  except  that  they  say  Mitchel  is  determined  to 
whip  us." 

"Burning  bridges  ain't  whipping  us,  not  by  a  long  shot." 

"It  might  help  it  along,  though,  if  they  cut  off  all  railroad 
communication." 

"  But  they  won't,  you  see,  because  they  can't.  It  would  take 
a  regiment  to  burn  that  bridge." 

The  cavalrymen  insisted  on  conducting  him  to  their  camp, 
where  he  was  most  cordially  received.  The  hospitality  of  these 
enemies,  indeed,  became  somewhat  oppressive,  for  they  would 
not  permit  him  to  depart,  and  it  was  every  day  becoming  more 
and  more  necessary  that  he  should  accomplish  the  work  for 
which  he  was  sent.  At  last,  however,  he  escaped  from  them, 
though  his  resolution  to  leave  them  made  them  suspect  that  all 
was  not  as  it  should  be. 

On  leaving  the  camp,  he  of  course  set  out  in  the  direction 
which  they  advised  ;  but  this  was  simply  to  lull  suspicion,  and 
no  sooner  was  he  fully  out  of  sight  than  he  changed  his 
course,  ascending  the  Tennessee.  Fearful  lest  his  late  hosts 
might  pursue  him,  he  resolved  to  adopt  the  plan  usual  with 
scouts  in  an  enemy's  country,  and  travel  only  by  night.  Toil 
ing  painfully  along,  he  lost  his  way;  and  became  so  puzzled  as 
to  what  his  proper  course  was,  that  he  took  the  worst  direction 
possible,  and  landed  in  a  swamp,  where  he  was  obliged  to  stay 
until  morning  should  enable  him  to  find  the  way  to  dry  land 
once  more. 

His  plan  now  was  to  ascend  the  river  for  a  safe  distance,  steal 
a  boat,  float  down  the  stream,  and  set  fire  to  the  bridge  from  be 
neath.  After  a  toilsome  journey,  he  saw,  drawn  up  on  the  river 
bank,  the  prize  so  much  coveted — a  skiff.  Concealing  himself 
as  near  by  as  he  could  find  shelter,  it  was  not  until  a  late  hour 
of  the  night  that  it  seemed  safe  to  venture  out  to  wards  the  boat. 
It  was  some  distance  from  the  water's  edge,  this  being  the 
season  when  freshets  were  liable  to  occur  any  day;  and  it  was 
10 


148  A  Solitary  Scout. 

not  until  the  "  wee  sma'  hours"  that  he  finally  launched  the  lit 
tle  vessel  upon  the  river.  Much  of  the  way  he  could  only  float 
silently  along,  for  the  sound  of  oars  might  alarm  some  watchful 
sentinel  on  shore.  However,  he  should  reach  the  bridge  a  little 
before  dawn,  even  if  he  were  obliged  to  float  all  the  way  ;  and 
the  darkness  would  enable  him  to  arrange  matters  so  that  when 
he  should  be  at  a  safe  distance,  just  about  dawn,  flames  would 
burst  forth  from  various  parts  of  the  bridge,  and  speedily  be 
come  uncontrollable. 

While  entertained  by  the  Tennessee  regiment  as  the  disguised 
Texan  Eanger,  he  had  furtively  made  a  close  study  of  the  bridge 
whenever  an  opportunity  offered  to  examine  it  without  exciting 
suspicion.  Relying  upon  the  knowledge  so  gained,  he  had 
freighted  his  boat  with  all  the  combustible  materials  obtainable, 
hoping  to  place  these  in  the  various  crevices  and  openings  of  the 
bridge,  to  make  the  work  of  destruction  the  more  certain.  As  he 
floated  silently  down  the  river  through  the  darkness,  he  saw,  "  in 
his  mind's  eye,"  the  flames  rising  higher  and  higher  in  the  light 
of  dawn,  until  the  rosy  clouds  of  the  east  were  paled  by  the 
glory  of  the  fire.  He  saw  the  soldiers  running  to  and  fro  in 
confusion,  some  endeavoring  to  control  the  wild  and  fiery  ele 
ment,  some  cursing  the  daring  foe  who  had  inflicted  this  injury 
upon  their  means  of  communication  with  other  portions  of  the 
army. 

But,  the  distance  was  greater,  or  the  time  less  than  he  had 
calculated.  As  he  floated  down  the  stream,  the  sky  behind  him 
grew  lighter  and  lighter;  he  looked  anxiously  backward  as  he 
continued  his  westward  journey,  then  forward  again  to  see  how 
far  he  still  was  from  Decatur.  He  knew  that  the  bridge  was  not 
guarded,  being  thought  too  far  within  the  ponfederate  lines  to 
be  in  any  danger;  and  that  for  the  same  reason  there  was  no 
close  guard  kept  upon  the  river.  The  camp  was  situated  upon 
an  elevation  some  distance  from  the  stream,  and  better  fitted  to 
defend  the  town  than  a  lower  place.  His  great  danger,  then, 
would  be  from  either  rangers  or  bushwhackers. 

It  was  broad  day  when  he  came  in  "sight  of  the  town,  and  there 
were  soldiers,  plenty  of  them,  in  full  view.  Thus  belated,  with 
suspicion  so  frequently  excited  behind  him,  it  was  useless  to 
think  of  attempting  to  burn  the  bridge  under  the  circumstances. 

There  was  but  one  thing  to  be  done — leave  the  river,  and 
strike  due  north  for  the  Federal  lines.  Steering  for  the  shore 


A  Solitary  Scout.  149 

as  noiselessly  as  possible,  when  he  found  his  plans  impractica 
ble,  he  thought  that  he  had  eluded  observation.  Plunging  into 
the  woods,  although  tired  with  the  journey  of  the  day  before  and 
the  vigil  of  the  night,  he  made  good  time,  hoping  to  be  soon  out 
of  reach  of  those  who  might  suspect  him.  All  day  he  traveled 
onward,  and  even  when  night  came,  he  hastened  his  flagging 
steps,  cheering  himself  with  the  thought  that  he  had  done  as 
much  as  circumstances  would  permit. 

But  listen  !  What  is  that  sound,  that  the  wind  bears  onward, 
breaking  the  stillness  of  the  night?  Perhaps  some  housedog, 
faithful  to  his  trust,  has  discovered  the  approach  of  a  suspicious 
stranger.  So  he  assures  himself,  and  hurries  onward.  But  if 
that  supposition  were  correct,  he  would  by  this  time  have  left 
the  sound  far  behind  him,  and  it  is  really  nearer.  Not  until  the 
baying  of  the  one  dog  is  echoed,  fainter  and  fainter,  by  others  less 
keen  of  scent,  does  he  realize  that  he  is  pursued,  and  with  blood 
hounds. 

His  way  had,  for  some  hours  past,  lain  over  open  ground, 
which,  in  the  bygone  time  of  peace,  had  once  been  cultivated,  but 
was  now  permitted  to  lie  fallow.  Here  and  there,  in  some 
broad  green  pasture,  was  a  pond,  where  in  later  months  the 
"  milky  mothers  of  the  herd"  would  stand  knee  deep;  but  these 
were  not  enough  for  his  purpose;  his  footsteps  would  r>e  easily 
tracked  on  the  other  side,  for  the  hounds  would,  of  course,  make 
the  circuit  of  so  small  a  body  of  water. 

At  last  he  neared  a  dense  grove,  an  almost  certain  indication 
of  the  presence  of  running  water;  and  was  soon  lost  to  view  in 
the  deep  shadows  of  the  wood.  His  expectations  were  not  dis 
appointed  ;  a  stream, 'several  yards  in  width  and  nearly  waist 
deep,  appeared  when  he  had  penetrated  but  a  short  distance  into 
the  grove.  He  plunged  into  the  water,  and  swimming  down  the 
stream  a  short  distance,  emerged  on  the  opposite  side.  This 
of  course  would  break  the  trail,  and  cause  the  pursuers  to  make 
a  delay,  which  would  be  fatal  to  their  purpose;  if,  indeed,  they 
succeeded  in  finding  the  trail  again  after  all  their  search. 

But  Fortune  favors  the  brave,  and  in  this  case  she  granted  him 
still  another  advantage.  He  had  not  proceeded  far  when  he 
came  upon  a  swampy  piece  of  ground,  where  there  were  sev 
eral  streams  nearly  as  deep  as  the  first,  forming  a  network.  Into 
these  he  plunged  and  waded  for  nearly  an  hour.  At  length, 
however,  tired  nature  asserted  her  rights,  and  he  began  to  look 


150 


A  Solitary  Scout. 


for  a  resting-place.  Sleep  on  the  slimy,  oozy  ground  nearby, 
was  out  of  the  question  ;  nor  would  it  be  safe  to  leave  the  swamp 
to  gain  such  refreshment.  What  was  his  joy  to  discover  a  pile 
of  new  rails  rising  a  fewfeet  above  the  level  of  the  swamp.  Gain 
ing  the  island  on  which  they  were,  he  disposed  them  so  cun 
ningly  as  to  leave  himself  a  place  into  which  to  crawl,  while  the 
arrangement  did  not  seem  any  different  from  what  it  had  been. 
As  he  worked  to  provide  this  shelter,  he  could  hear  the  deep 
voices  of  the  hounds  as  they  ran  hither  and  thither,  seeking  the 
lost  scent.  The  pursuers  in  human  form,  he  knew,  would  not 


"  Hi,  uncle  !  " 

be  able  to  decide  what  direction  to  take,  or  when  to  leave  the  wa 
ter.     Lulled  by  these  soothing  reflections,  he  fell  asleep. 

It  was  morning  before  he  awoke,  and  though  he  was  no  longer 
so  weary,  he  was  faint  with  hunger.  Then,  too,  his  clothes  had 
been  soaked  through  and  through  during  his  efforts  to  escape  from 
the  bloodhounds,  and  in  drying  had  made  him  intensely  cold. 
With  the  still  damp  garments  clinging  to  his  benumbed  limbs, 
he  endeavored  to  restore  his  body  to  its  natural  heat  by  exercise 
before  leaving  the  swamp.  Not  entirely  satisfied  of  the  safety  of 
immediately  proceeding,  however,  he  again  waded  about  for 


A  Solitary  Scout.  151 

nearly  half  an  hour  in  the  water  before  making  for  dry  land  again. 

He  emerged  from  the  morass  at  the  rear  of  a  plantation,  and 
looking  cautiously  around  him,  saw  an  old  negro  at  work,  alone 
in  a  field.  The  lay  of  the  land  was  such  that  great  care  was  still 
necessary,  for  there  might  be  plenty  of  white  men  just  out  of 
sight,  but  within  hearing;  and  white  men  were  presumably  ene 
mies.  Slowly  and  silently,  then  he  crept  within  hailing  dis 
tance  of  the  old  man. 

"  Hi,  uncle  !"  he  called  in  a  low  tone,  as  the  negro  approached 
in  the  course  of  his  work,  the  soldier's  place  of  concealment. 

"  Who  dat  call  me  ?" 

"Come  here,  a  little  closer.     Is  there  anybody  near?'* 

"Notas'I  knows  on,  sah.  Who  is  you?"  peering  curiously 
at  him. 

"  I  am  a  Yankee  soldier — "  began  the  Corporal. 

"How  de  debbil  did  you  git  dah  !"  exclaimed  the  old  man, 
starting  back  in  fright  or  surprise. 

"  Well,  I've  been  chased  by  the  Eeb's  with  their  bloodhounds  ; 
but  I've  got  away  from  them;  and  now  I'd  be  all  right  if  I  only 
had  something  to  eat." 

"Law,  Massa,  is  dat  all  you  want?  Ole  Miss' she — but  I 
reckon  you  wouldn't  like  to  come  up  to  de  house  much,  sah  ?" 

"Is  your  mistress  loyal  ?" 

"  She  mighty  strong  Secesh,  sah;  ole  Massa  and  Mass' John, 
dey  bofe  in  the  army,  an' — " 

"I  don't  think  it  would  be  safe,  then.  Can't  you  bring  me 
something  out  here  ?" 

"  Ye£,  sah,  plenty  ;  but,  you  see,  it  wouldn't  be  as  nice  as  ole 
Miss'  would  give  you  if  you  dast  go  up  to  the  house." 

"Never  mind  that,  so  there's  plenty  of  it  and  it  comes  quick," 
answered  the  hungry  man. 

The  old  negro  started  off  as  fast  as  the  stiffness  of  his  joints 
would  permit,  and  soon  returned  with  a  bountiful  supply  of 
bacon  and  corn  bread.  When  his  hunger  was  somewhat  ap 
peased,  the  soldier  began  to  ask  about  the  way  he  had  better 
pursue  to  get  to  Huntsville,  where  G-en.  Mitchel's  headquarters 
were  then  situated. 

"  Don't  tink  you  can  git  dah,  sah,  by  yo'self;  might  lose  de 
way  and  get  captured.  Dem  bloodhounds  is  mighty  bad  tings 
to  be  chased  by,"  answered  the  old  man,  shaking  his  head  as  he 
called  to  mind  instances  of  their  keenness  of  scent  in  track- 


152 


A  Solitary  Scout. 


ing  runaway  servants.     "Ise  afeared  you  lose  de  way,  shuah." 
"But  what  am  I  to  do?" 

"Beckon  our  Joe  will  show  you  de  way,  sah;  I'll  go  see." 
Sure  enough,  Joe  was  willing  and  able  to  act  as  guide;  and 
the  two  set  out  on  their  journey. 

"Dey'll  miss  me  up  at  de  house  if  I  stay  away  long,"  said 
Joe,  when  they  had  gone  several  miles,  "  but  I  reckon  you  kin 
find  the  way  from  heah." 

And  he  gave  the  soldier  minute  directions  for  what  was  really 
not  a  difficult  road  to  follow. 

"  DeLawd  bless  you, 
sah  ;  I  hope  you'll  git 
through  all  right." 

"Thank  you,  Joe;  I 
guess  I  will.  Good 
bye." 

"Good-bye,  sah." 
And  they  trudged 
off  in  their  different  di 
rections  ;  one  back  to 
servitude,  one  onward 
to  whatever  of  free 
dom  and  safety  a  sol 
dier's  life  possesses. 
The  Federal  had  not 
gone  far  before  he  was 
overtaken  by  a  negro 


"Stop  a  minute,  won't  you?" 


man,  driving  a  fine  horse  in  most  lordly  style. 

"  Whose  horse  and  buggy  is  that?"  called  the  soldier. 

"  Dat's  Mr. 's  propahty,"  answered  the  driver,  with  dig 
nity,  as  he  slackened  speed. 

"  Stop  a  minute,  won't  you  ?" 

As  the  negro  drew  rein,  the  soldier  sprang  into  the  buggy, 
and  showing  a  revolver,  said  to  the  frightened  darkey: 

"I'm  a  Federal  soldier,  and  I  want  you  to  drive  me  to  Hunts- 
ville." 

"Law,  ole  Massa  so  strong  Secesh,  he  whip  me  good  if  he 
knowed  I  done  dat,  sah." 

"  But  I'll  shoot  you  if  you  don't  do  it,"  was  the  reply. 

The  whip  was  in  the  future,  the  revolver  in  the  present,  and 
the  frightened  negro,  choosing  the  lesser  evil,  drove  on  towards 


A  Solitary  Scout 


A  Solitary  Scout.  155 

Huntsville,  the  blooded  animal  taking  them  along  at  a  rattling 
gait. 

"  You  say  Mr. is  Secesh  ?"  asked  Pike 

"  Yes,  sah ;  mighty  strong/' 

"Well,  I  guess  I'll  confiscate  this  horse  and  buggy,  then;  you 
can  take  me  clear  into  Huntsville.  Drive  on,  fast." 

And  in  spite  of  the  darkey's  terrified  remonstrances,  he  per 
sisted  in  this  demand.  It  was  in  good  style,  then,  that  he  finally 
entered  the  town,  safe  from  all  pursuit.  His  driver  was  so  much 
afraid  of  a  whipping  that  he  refused  to  return  to  his  master, 
and  finally  became  a  cook  for  one  of  the  officers'  messes. 

Corporal  Pike  continued  to  act  as  a  scout,  sometimes  alone, 
sometimes  in  conjunction  with  others,  for  a  period  of  nearly 
three  years.  He  was  finally  honorably  discharged,  after  having 
served  more  than  the  time  for  which  he  had  enlisted,  only  a 
week  before  Gren.  Lee's  surrender. 


STRINGFELLOW  AGAINST  ODDS. 

A  Small-sized  Raid — Posting  the  Force — A  Bearer  of  Dispatches — Disobedience  of 
Orders — An  Alarming  State  of  Affairs — The  Biter  Bit — Injured  Innocence — An 
Indignant  Prisoner— Something  Wrong— The  Prisoner  Refuses  to  be  Released 
— Between  Two  Fires — A  Strong  Temptation — Resisted — A  Sudden  Revelation 
—A  'Little  Battle— A  Surrender  and  Skedaddle— Astonishing  the  Pickets— A 
Race — A  Battle  of  Larger  Forces— Retreat  of  the  Confederates — Taking  Stock 
of  the  Spoils—  He  Called  Himself  a  Fool— And  Nobody  Contradicted  Him. 

rinHE  pleasure  which  we  feel  in  reading  the  numberless  stories 
I  of  scouts  and  spies,  their  daring  adventures  and  narrow 
escapes,  is  often  marred  when  we  allow  ourselves  to  look  at  the 
other  side  of  the  picture  to  see  the  partisan  or  the  secret  service 
agent  with  the  eyes  of  the  enemy  against  whom  his  operations 
were  directed;  then  we  observe  that  his  clever  performance  of 
his'part  is  but  the  acting  of  a  lie^  that  every  word  is  false  ;  that 
the  quickness  with  which  he  disposes  of  any  soldier  that  is  likely 
to  thwart  his  plans  shows  a  savage  disregard  for  human  life.  That 
is  the  dark  side  of  the  picture,  and  it  is  darker  than  Erebus.  In 
ninety-nin£  cases  out  of  a  hundred,  we  must  shut  our  eyes  to 
this,  or  the  fell  shadow  will  darken  all  the  glowing  colors.  In 
reading  the  history  of  any  war,  we  must  harden  our  hearts,  we 
must  dull  our  understandings,  if  we  would  not  be  overwhelmed 
by  the  thought  of  the  distress  which  even  a  single  action  must 
cause.  But  occasionally,  there  is  a  man  employed  in  such  ser 
vice  who  hesitates  to  shoot  down  even  an  enemy,  without  warning 
him  that  he  is  in  the  very  presence  of  death.  Such  was  the  man 
of  whom  we  now  write,  one  of  the  most  trusted  of  all  the  scouts 
employed  by  the  Commander-in-chief  of  the  Confederate  army  5 
and  with  none  will  it  detract  from  the  interest  of  an  "  ower  true 
tale/'  that  the  hero  of  it  has  discarded  the  sword  of  the  flesh  for 
156 


String  fellow  Against  Odds.  157 

that  of  the  Spirit,  and  as  the  rector  of  a  church  in  Powhatan 
County,  Yirginia,  has  since  battled  with  the  enemy  of  all  man 
kind,  rather  than  with  the  foes  of  a  section  of  his  country.  He 
made  none  the  worse  soldier  for  being  a  Christian,  and  none 
the  worse  Christian  for  being  a  soldier. 

Gen.  Gregg  was  in  the  height  of  his  fame  as  a  cavalry  officer 
when  Capt.  Frank  Stringfellow,  with  a  small  force  of  men,  pick 
ed  from  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  to  serve  as  scouts,  de 
termined  to  make  a  small-sized  raid  into  the  enemy's  lines,  and 
capture  many  horses  or  dispatches,  as  opportunity  might  offer. 
Setting  out  from  the  Confederate  headquarters  just  before 
"taps"  warned  the  infantryman  that  it  was  time  for  darkness 
and  quiet,  it  was  in  the  "  wee  sma'  hours"  that  they  reached 
and  passed  the  enemy's  lines.  The  eastern  sky  was  just  streak 
ed  with  crimson  when  they  halted  in  a  small  group  of  trees 
about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  county  road;  there  lying  in 
wait  for  their  prey,  like  a  cat  at  a  safe  distance  from  a  rat-hole; 
for  they  knew  that  small  bodies  of  Federals  would  soon  pass 
that  way.  The  force  was  carefully  posted,  the  main  body  being 
concealed  in  the  grove  already  mentioned,  while  a  single  man 
was  so  placed  as  to  be  able  to  communicate,  by  signals,  with 
Stringfellow,  who  was  to  operate  on  the  road,  and  with  the  men 
concealed  in  the  grove. 

Their  expectations  were  not  disappointed,  for  it  was  not  many 
hours  after  completing  these  arrangements  before  a  single  horse 
man,  dressed  in  a  blue  uniform,  was  seen  coming  down  the  road. 
Being  far  within  his  own  lines,  the  new  comer  evidently  regard 
ed  caution  as  superfluous,  and  made  no  attempt  to  conceal  the 
dispatches  of  which  he  wras  the  bearer.  On  the  contrary,  the 
mail-bag  was  so  secured  to  his  person  as  rather  to  indicate  that 
he  wished  to  proclaim  his  mission  to  all.  For  the  same  reason 
that  he  disclaimed  caution  and  concealment,  he  carelessly  re 
garded  the  soldier  whom  he  now  saw  riding  toward  him,  who, 
though  wearing  the  trousers  and  overcoat  of  a  United  States  of 
ficer,  was  no  other  than  our  friend  the  Confederate  scout.  The 
two  rode  towards  each  other,  and  the  cavalryman — the  "real 
article" — had  just  raised  his  hand  to  salute  the  officer  when  that 
person  returned  the  salute  in  a  manner  somewhat  unusual;  be 
ing  nothing  else  than  the  presenting  the  muzzle  of  a  revolver 
full  in  the  Federal's  face. 

"  Haiti     Surrender,  or  you  are  a  dead  man." 


158  Stringfellow  Against  Odds. 

The  astonished  trooper  could  only  gasp  out  that  he  complied 
with  this  demand,  and  yield  up  his  arms  and  dispatches  as  the 
captor  required.  Signaling  to  the  man  who  had  been  posted 
for  the  purpose  of  communication,  Stringfellow  said  to  him  : 

"Take  this  prisoner  to  the  rear,  and  bring  up  the  men  for  a 
fight.  I  hear  cavalry  not  very  far  off.  Bring  them  up  at  a  fast 
trot." 

The  soldier  received  the  command  with  due  respect,  and  de 
parted  from  his  chiefs  presence,  to  disobey  that  chiefs  express 
orders.  For,  unlike  many  organizations  performing  similar  ser 
vices  to  the  army,  this  little  force  had  a  strict  code  of  morality, 
which  was  never  allowed  to  relax.  Though,  as  soldiers,  they 
must  often  disregard  the  commandment,  "  Thou  shalt  not  kill," 
they  were  scrupulous  in  their  observance  of  that  which  is  the 
second  after  it.  Of  course,  arms  and  all  government  property, 
found  on  the  persons  of  their  prisoners  must,  according  to  the 
rules  of  war,  be  confiscated,  but  private  property  was  as  sacred 
in  their  eyes  as  in  times  of  peace.  When,  therefore,  Stringfellow 
sent  his  prisoner  to  the  rear,  he  had  no  expectation  of  any  de 
lay  resulting  from  such  a  cause  ;  but,  by  a  strange  fatality,  just 
at  the  moment  when  such  a  course  would  most  imperil  the  lead 
er,  this  one  man  committed  the  only  offense  of  the  kind  which 
stains  the  history  of  the  little  force  of  scouts.  Instead  of  carry 
ing  the  message  to  his  comrades,  he  paused  to  plunder  the  pris 
oner. 

In  the  meantime,  Stringfellow,  in  order  to  give  his  men  time  to 
come  up,  and  to  prevent  his  own  premature  capture,  had  de 
cided  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  deceive  the  enemy.  Ac 
cordingly,  he  buckled  on  the  mail-bag  in  such  a  way  that  no  one 
would  doubt  that  he  was  a  bearer  of  dispatches,  and  rode  onward. 
He  rode  slowly,  in  order  to  give  his  men  plenty  of  time  ;  but  still 
they  did  not  come.  Never  once  supposing  that  his  orders  had 
not  been  received,  he  could  not  imagine  why  they  were  not  obey 
ed;  he  could  not  understand  why  the  men  who  had  been  chosen 
for  their  desperate  courage  as  much  as  for  other  qualities,  who 
had  stood  by  him  in  a  score  of  contests  with  numbers  far  supe 
rior  to  their  own,  should  fail  him  now.  Nearer  and  nearer  came 
the  enemy,  as  the  clatter  of  their  horses'  hoofs  upon  the  hard 
road  indicated,  and  though  he  was  alone,  he  must  go  on ;  to  re 
treat  was  to  give  up  all  the  advantages  that  had  been  gained  by 
the  capture  of  the  courier. 


Stringfellow  Against  Odds.  159 

But  though  he  was  considerably  alarmed  by  the  failure  of  his 
men  to  obey  orders,  his  mind  was  more  at  ease  when  the  ene 
my's  cavalry  came  in  view  and  was  seen  to  number  but  two  men. 
These  he  could  easily  capture  single-handed,  and  since  he  would 
be  obliged  to  escort  his  prisoners  to  the  rear  himself,  he  could 
thus  learn  the  reason  why  his  men  had  failed  to  come  up  in  due 
time.  Fortunately,  their  not  coming  would  make  no  difference 
whatever,  although,  if  he  had  met  a  larger  force,  his  situation 
might  have  proved  somewhat  embarrassing. 

He  was  just  congratulating  himself  upon  this  situation,  which 
might  have  been  so  much  worse,  when  a  third  Federal  trooper 
came  in  sight,  and  speedily  joined  his  comrades.  But,  like  a 
physician  who  sees  new  and  unfavorable  symptoms  appear  and 
yet  does  not  wholly  give  up  the  patient,  the  scout  determined 
to  pursue  the  same  course  against  the  three  upon  which  he  had 
resolved  when  he  saw  but  two  antagonists.  Upon  the  appear 
ance  of  a  fourth  Federal  a  moment  afterwards,  however,  he 
began  to  see  that  his  plans  could  not  be  carried  out.  With  ready 
eye  he  saw  what  would  be  the  best,  and  indeed  the  only  course 
that  he  could  with  safety  pursue.  His  blue  overcoat  and  trous 
ers  and  the  mail-bag  so  conspicuously  displayed  would  lead 
them  to  think  him  a  regular  bearer  of  dispatches ;  he  would 
ride  past  them  unmolested  ;  they  would  go  on,  only  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  his  men,  when  he  would  return  and  attack  them  in 
the  rear. 

All  this  time  the  solitary  Confederate  and  the  little  group  of 
Federals  were  drawing  nearer  together.  Thinking  to  run 
through  them  oefore  they  could  offer  resistance,  Stringfellow 
urged  his  horse  to  a  gallop ;  but  as  he  dashed  up  towards  them, 
they  opened  out  so  as  to  completely  bar  the  way.  Before  his 
quick  wits  could  decide  what  course  should  now  be  taken,  they 
had  wheeled  their  horses  so  as  entirely  to  surround  him,  and 
the  muzzles  of  four  pistols  were  in  his  very  face.  The  figures 
formed  by  a  kaleidoscope  are  made  more  beautiful  by  multiplica 
tion,  but  in  the  case  of  a  revolver,  it  is  different.  It  was  by  no 
means  a  pleasant  sight  for  Stringfellow,  and  yet  he  could  not 
shut  his  eyes  to  it.  More  to  gain  time  than  for  anything  else, 
he  assumed  an  air  of  injured  dignity,  and  demanded: 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?     Are  you  bushwhackers  ?" 

"No;  we're  regularly  enlisted  men,"  replied  the  sergeant, 
who  was  the  only  officer  of  the  party. 


160 


String  fellow  Against  Odds. 


"Then  what  does  this  behavior  mean — capturing  a  United 
States  soldier  within  the  lines?  You  belong  to  Gen.  Gregg's 
cavalry,  don't  you?" 

"We  do,  sir,"  the  sergeant  admitted,  doubtfully. 

u  Then  you  must  remember  seeing  me  at  headquarters,"  per 
sisted  the  scout. 

"  Hanged  if  I  haven't,"  muttered  one  of  the  Federals. 

"Believe  I  have,  too,"  added  a  second,  while  the  third  nod 
ded  his  approval. 


Four  to  One. 

"Well,  I  never  have  seen  him  at  headquarters,  I'm  certain," 
rejoined  the  sergeant,  decidedly. 

Having  succeeded  in  getting  their  revolvers  out  of  his  face, 
and  still  anxious  to  gain  time,  Stringfellow  pressed  his  advan 
tage,  already  secured,  in  another  direction. 

"  It's  easy  enough  for  you  to  say  that  you  are  not  bushwhack 
ers,  but  how  am  I  to  know  ?  With  your  uniform  overcoats  on, 
you  could  easily  enough  get  into  the  lines.  Let  me  see  your 
pants." 

The  troopers,  indignant  at  the  suspicion,  threw  open  their 
overcoats  and  disclosed  the  garments  in  question — regulation 


Stringfellow  Against  Odds.  161 

cut  and  colo<.  Then,  on  the  principle  that  "  what  is  sauce  for 
the  goose  is  sauce  for  the  gander,"  they  demanded  that  String- 
fellow  should  submit  to  the  same  test.  What  was  their  aston 
ishment  when  they  saw  that  he  wore  the  trousers  of  an  officer  in 
the  United  States  army. 

"Now,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  of  great  indignation,  " I  suppose 
you  know  who  I  am.  Don't  you  see  what  an  insult  you  have 
offered  an  officer?  But  you  shall  answer  for  your  disrespectful 
conduct;  you  may  rest  assured  that  I  shall  not  allow  it  to  go 
Unpunished." 

"  Better  beg  his  pardon  and  let  him  go,  Sergeant,"  urged  one 
of  the  men,  in  an  undertone. 

"  Didn't  you  see  him  stop  that  trooper  and.  take  the  dispatches 
from  him  ?"  demanded  the  sergeant  ;  in  the  same  tone. 

"Ye-es,"  admitted  the  other,  trying  to  reconcile  the  two 
things  so  different. 

"But  he  must  be  an  officer,  Sergeant,"  chimed  in  another 
trooper,  "  or  he  would  never  dare  to  behave  as  he  is  doing." 

"There's  something  wrong  about  it,"  replied  the  sergeant, 
doggedly  ;  then,  turning  to  the  prisoner,  he  said  :  "Answer  one 
question  to  my  satisfaction,  and  I  will  release  you.  You  say  you 
are  an  officer,  then  why  do  you  carry  a  private  soldier's  arms 
and  a  mail-bag  ?  The  officers  don't  carry  the  mails." 

"Release  me,  will  you?"  asked  Stringfellow,  still  indignant 
and  without  pretending  to  answer  the  question;  "  indeed  you 
shall  not;  you  shall  keep  me  in  custody  until  you  are  fully  con 
vinced  who  I  am.  I'll  have  ample  satisfaction  for  this  treat 
ment  yet.  Hide  on  to  the  picket  post — any  of  the  men  there  can 
identify  me." 

"You  must  give  up  your  arms  before  we  go  on,  sir,"  insisted 
the  sergeant. 

"Give  up  my  arms?  Why,  if  you  are  bushwhackers  you 
might  as  well  shoot  me  now." 

"  We  are  not  bushwhackers,  sir,"  answered  the  other,  sullenly. 

"Then,  if  you  do  belong  to  our  army,  do  you  suppose  that 
I'm  going  to  make  a  laughing  stock  of  myself  for  everybody  at 
headquarters,  as  I  should  do  if  I  were  to  give  up  my  arms  to  our 
own  men?" 

Still  keeping  the  air  of  injured  innocence  which  he  had  so 
successfully  assumed,  he  rode  towards  the  picket  post  accom 
panied  liy  the  others.  The  four  rode  with  drawn  pistols  ready  to 


162  Stringfellow  Against  Odds. 

use  them  at  the  prisoner's  slightest  motion  to  quit  their  company. 
Though  the  muzzles  were  not  pointed  into  his  face,  as  they  had 
been,  his  situation  was  hardly  less  critical  now  than  it  was  then  ; 
and  the  danger  increased  with  every  yard  by  which  they  drew 
nearer  to  the  picket  post.  There  was  but  one  thing  which  could 
save  him;  his  own  men  might  see  the  party  as  it  passed,  and 
charge  and  recapture  him.  As  they  rode  near  the  woods  in  which 
his  men  were  posted,  scarcely  two  hundred  yards  away,  he 
looked  anxiously  forward,  but  no  promise  of  deliverance  was 
seen.  In  a  Federal  uniform  with  the  exception  of  his  coat,  which 
was  gray,  he  dared  not  surrender,  lest  the  costume  be  completed 
by  a  hempen  necktie.  Just  in  front  of  him  was  the  picket;  at 
each  side  rode  two  soldiers  holding  cocked  revolvers. 

Rapidly  he  turned  over  in  his  mind  the  courses  which  presen 
ted  themselves.  There  was  but  one  which  seemed  practicable. 
He  had  purposely  endeavored,  by  talking  with  them  on  different 
subjects,  to  draw  their  attention  away  from  himself,  and  although 
he  had  only  partially  succeeded,  still  that  small  measure  of  suc 
cess  gave  him  some  room  for  action.  A  sudden  shot  before  they 
had  time  to  suspect  bis  intention  would  kill  the  sergeant,  who 
was  by  far  the  most  formidable  of  the  four  ;  then  he  could  fight 
the  other  three  ;  perhaps — for  he  had  not  yet  given  up  all  hopes 
of  capturing  his  captors — carry  the  engagement  so  near  to  the 
point  where  his  own  men  were  posted  that  there  could  be  no 
doubt  about  their  coming  to  the  rescue. 

The  plan  was  tempting,  for  though  the  execution  of  it  would 
not  be  unattended  by  danger  to  himself,  ha  saw  no  other  way 
out  of  the  still  more  imminent  danger  into  which  he  was  riding. 
But  though  he  might  kill  a  man  in  fair  and  open  fight,  and  think 
no  more  of  it  than  that  he,  a  soldier  of  his  native  state,  had  slain 
one  of  her  enemies,  his  whole  soul  revolted  at  the  idea  of  shoot 
ing  a  man  who  was  not  looking  for  death,  of  sending  a  human 
spirit  into  eternity  unprepared.  Sooner  than  do  this  he  assumed 
the  greater  risk  himself.  Suddenly  interrupting  one  of  the 
troopers  in  the  rambling  conversation  which  had  been  carried 
on,  he  turned  upon  the  sergeant  with  : 

"  I  am  a  Southern  soldier,  and  you  must  surrender  to  me." 

Knowing  how  great  an  advantage  they  had  over  him,  the 
scout  threw  himself  upon  the  side  of  his  horse;  the  action  was 
just  in  time,  for  the  words  were  hardly  out  of  his  mouth  before 
they  all  fired,  but,  fortunately,  missing  him.  It  may  be  believed 


Stringfellow  Against  Odds.  163 

that  he  lost  no  time  in  returning  the  fire,  and,  now  that  fair 
warning  had  been  given,  aimed  at  the  sergeant.  But  the  shot 
was  hasty,  and  the  ball  lodged  in  the  flesh,  not  of  the  rider,  but 
of  the  horse.  As  the  animal  fell,  the  sergeant's  attention  was 
engaged  in  keeping  himself  from  being  crushed  by  the  fall,  and 
Stringfellow  fired  again  before  the  Federal  could  use  his  revol 
ver.  The  ball  was  better  aimed  than  before,  and,  although 
it  was  far  from  fatal  in  its  effects,  inflicting  only  a  flesh 
wound,  yet  the  sergeant,  thus  disabled  and  unhorsed,  had  no 
resort  but  to  surrender;  while  his  comrades,  judging  discretion 
the  better  part  of  valor,  rode  off  at  full  speed. 

Stringfellow  pursued  them  hotly,  and  they  galloped  past  the 
astounded  picket,  who  could  not  understand  why  these  men,  all 
in  blue  uniform,  should  be  fighting  with  each  other.  One  man  was 
accordingly  sent  back  to  the  reserve  force  for  instructions,  and 
reinforcements  for  the  Federals  were  speedily  heard  making  for 
the  road.  How  many  there  might  be  coming  up,  the  scout  had  no 
means  of  knowing;  but  feeling  sure  that  the  odds  were  too 
great  for  him,  singlehanded  as  he  was,  he  turned  and  rode  back 
towards  his  own  men.  The  cavalrymen  whom  he  had  been 
pursuing,  were  quick  to  perceive  the  change,  and  having  heard 
their  reinforcements  approaching,  wheeled  their  horses  and  be 
came,  in  turn,  pursuers.  Stringfellow  dashed  along  the  road, 
riding  for  his  life,  while  the  hoofs  of  a  dozen  horses  clattered 
behind  him.  As  he  rode  past  the  point  where  the  wounded  ser 
geant  lay,  a  shot  whistled  past  him,  only  narrowly  missing  him  ; 
for  the  Federal,  seeing  Stringfellow  evidently  getting  the  worst 
of  it,  considered  himself  recaptured,  and  his  surrender  thus 
nullified. 

At  last  the  woods  were  reached.  Stringfellow  was  now  to  re 
ceive  for  the  first  time  in  his  many  moments  of  dire  need,  the 
assistance  of  his  men.  As  we  have  already  intimated,  they  had 
not  received  the  orders  which  he  had  sent  to  them;  and  having 
been,  posted  in  the  woods,  with  instructions  to  remain  thereuntil 
otherwise  ordered,  they  had,  with  true  military  obedience,  stuck 
to  their  post;  though  the  temptation  to  indulge  in  the  fight, 
when  they  heard  the  first  shots  between  Stringfellow  and  the 
four  troopers,  was  indeed  a  strong  one.  But  now,  "  nearer, 
clearer,  deadlier  than  before"  sounded  the  pistols;  and  throw 
ing  discipline  to  the  four  winds,  they  dashed  out  from  the  wood 
to  the  aid  of  their  leader. 
11 


164  Stringfdlow  Against  Odds. 

The  sight  of  eight  more  Confederates  took  the  pursuers  some 
what  by  surprise,  and  not  knowing  how  many  were  still  hidden 
in  the  wood,  they  checked  the  impetuosity  of  the  advance,,  Per- 
caivingthat  they  were  somewhat  doubtful  about  holding  their 
ground,  Stringfcllow  and  his  men  charged  upon  them,  hoping  to 
drive  them  back  in  confusion.  But  the  scouts  had  reckoned  on 
less  resolute  men  than  those  with  whom  they  had  to  deal,  and 
when,  as  they  rode  into  the  open  ground,  the  weakness  of  their 
party  became  evident  to  the  Federals,  the  latter  rallied  from 
their  first  surprise  and  terror,  and  gallantly  repulsed  the  charge. 
But  as  new  squads  of  blue-coated  troopers  were  constantly  com 
ing  up,  the  cavalrymen  grew  still  bolder,  and  the  scouts  were 
driven  in  a  headlong  flight  to  the  woods. 

But  not  more  than  half  of  the  scouts  had  been  in  the  first  par 
ty  that  came  to  the  rescue  of  their  leader;  and  as  this  party 
came  flying  for  safety  into  the  grove,  the  others  joined  them. 
Thus  reinforced,  they  re-formed,  and  again  charging  upon  the 
Federals,  drove  them  back  from  the  field  to  the  road  beyond. 
But  each  time  that  the  Yankees  were  driven  back,  they  returned 
with,  fresh  men  to  the  fray.  And  at  last  the  Bcbs  were  driven 
back  into  the  woods,  and  hotly  pursued  into  its  recesses. 

But  our  story  would  be  incomplete  did  we  omit  mention  of 
the  sergeant,  but  for  whom  Stringfellow  might  have  deceived 
the  troopers  completely.  Struck  by  the  second  ball  from  the 
scout's  revolver,  as  we  have  already  seen,  and  dismounted  by 
the  first,  he  was  too  badly  wounded  to  allow  any  active  exer 
tion;  hence,  though  riderless  horses  galloped  past  him  as  his 
comrades  advanced  and  retreated,  he  could  not  make  any  effort 
to  secure  one.  With  dogged  persistency,  however,  he  sought  out, 
in  every  charge  or  retreat  of  the  Rebs,  the  form  of  the  leader, 
and  aimed  his  revolver  at  the  man  that  had  been  his  prisoner 
and  his  captor. 

It  was  not  until  this  had  been  several  times  repeated  that  one 
of  the  scouts  perceived  the  purpose  of  the  wounded  man.  They 
were  retreating  for  the  last  time^  and  the  danger  in  lingering 
behind  the  main  body  was  not  small;  but  fearlessly  riding  away 
from  his  companions,  he  dashed  up  to  the  dismounted  man,  his 
pistol  cocked  and  aimed.  Arrived  at  a  point  whence  the  shot 
would  be  sure,  his  finger  was  on  the  trigger  when  Stringfellow, 
who  had  followed  him  closely,  called: 

"  Don't  fire  on  that  man." 


String  fellow  Against  Odds.  165 

"  He's  aimed  at  you  every  time  yet,  sir,"  answered  the  scout. 

"  Never  mind  that ;  he  has  surrendered  to  me  once,  and  he 
must  be  treated  as  a  prisoner  of  war." 

"  But  he  has  fired " 

"  Take  him  prisoner  again,  and  treat  him  as  such,"  was  the  or 
der,  in  a  tone  that  admitted  of  no  further  parley. 

The  running  fight  continued  until  nearly  sunset;  now  one  par 
ty,  now  the  other,  being  driven  back.  Each  time,  the  Confeder 
ates  retreated  a  little  greater  distance  than  they  advanced,  so 
that  the  field  was  held  by  the  Federals ;  but  the  former  lost  not 
a  man  nor  a  horse,  while  the  latter  had  some  twenty  men  and 
nearly  thirty  horses  taken  by  the  enemy.  Indeed,  the  prisoners 
out-numbered  the  scouts.  But  they  were,  by  the  close  of  the  after 
noon,  too  near  the  Confederate  lines  for  the  Federals  to  pursue 
any  farther,  especially  at  night ;  so  that  the  hard-fought  action 
closed  with  the  withdrawal  of  the  Northerners  from  the  pursuit. 

When  there  was  no  longer  any  probability  that  the  fight  would 
be  renewed,  the  Confederates  paused  to  take  account  of  their 
booty,  to  secure  the  prisoners  and  to  divide  the  spoil.  The  in 
domitable  sergeant  was  one  of  the  captives,  having  surrendered 
to  that  scout  who  had  been  so  intent  upon  avenging  the  attempts 
upon  the  Confederate  leader. 

"  O,  what  a  fool  I  was  !  What  a  d d  fool  I  was  !"  he  said 

to  Stringfellow  ;  "  I  saw  you  take  that  man  and  take  his  arms 
and  the  mail  from  him.  And  I  might  have  known  that  the  mail 
wouldn't  be  sent  by  an  oificer.  What  a  fool,  what  a  fool  !" 

"  You  watched  me  pretty  close,  anyhow/'  answered  the  scout, 
smiling  at  the  other's  dismay  and  self-reproach. 

"O,  but  I  had  no  business  to  stop  you.  I  ought  to  have  let  you 
go  on.  I  might  have  known  you  were  a  bushwhacker,  and 
wouldn't  be  taken  alive." 

The  tears  stood  in  his  eyes  as  he  pondered  over  the  occurrence, 
and  continued  to  mutter,  at  intervals,  "  What  a  fool,  what  a 
fool." 

"  Well,  my  friend,  I'm  sorry  you  have  such  a  poor  opinion  of 
yourself,  but  I  confess  I  cannot  think  it  undeserved,"  replied 
Stringfellow;  "  now,  there's  only  one  thing  I  can  do  for  you,  to 
return  your  courtesy  to  me." 

"  What  is  that?" 

"Give  you  free  transportation  to   Richmond,  and  a  letter  of 


166  Stringfellow  Against  Odds. 

introduction    to  a  first-class  'War  Hotel/     The  gentleman  in 
charge  of  it  will  be  pleased  to  entertain  you,  free  of  cost." 

"  Well,  I  guess  I'll  have  to  do  as  you  say,  sir,"  replied  the  ser 
geant,  ruefully;  "  but  what  a  fool,  what  a  darned  fool  I  was!" 


CAPTURING  A  CAPTAIN. 

A  Ghostly  Visitor — Investigations — A  "Woman  in  the  Case — Trooly  Loil — A  Sus 
picious  Officer — Determined  to  Find  It  Out— He  Finds  it  Out — But  Gets  Lost 
Himself. 

"~y  SENT  for  you  as  officer  of  the  day,  G ,  to  hear  a  re- 

1  port  which  was  made  to  me  in  that  capacity  a  few  moments 
ago.  There's  the  devil  to  pay  at  Post  Number  Twelve." 

"  How  much  is  owing?"  asked  the  officer  addressed,  with  a 
gravity  becoming  to  his  dignity. 

"  That's  just  what  we'll  have  to  find  out.  This  fellow  will  tell 
you  what  he  saw  there.  We'll  have  trouble  around  that  post  by 
to-morrow." 

"What  did  you  see,  my  man?" 

"It  war  a  ghost,  surr,"  was  the  reply,  in  an  awed  tone,  which 
yet  could  not  disguise 

"  A  brogue  as  thick  as  the  fog, 
Whin  Mother  Maloney  got  lost  in  the  bog." 

"A  ghost?"  repeated  the  officer,  with  some  disdain. 

" Yis,  surr;  it  walked  right  out  of  the  soide  of  the  hill  fore- 
ninst  the  ould  graveyard,  and  shook  its  fist  at  me  as  it  passed, 
and  thin  wint  into  the  bush  near  the  fort ;  and  thin  it  dishap- 
peared  intirely." 

"In  the  bush?" 

"  It  melted  into  the  air,  surr,  jist  as  it  got  into  the  borders  of 
the  bush  •  or  I  could  'a  seen  the  whoite  longer  nor  I  did." 

"  Could  you  have  seen  a  man  in  dark  clothes  as  far  in  the  bush 
as  the  ghost  was  when  it  disappeared  ?"  asked  the  officer. 

"No,  surr,  it  war  dark." 

"  How  did  the  ghost  look  ?" 

1G7 


168  Capturing  a  Captain. 

et  Loike  a  tall  banshee  all  dhressed  in  whoite,  with  oyes  all  of 
fire  loike." 

Nothing  more  definite  could  be  learned  from  the  picket.  To 
the  oificeritwas  evident  that  the  ghost  was  an  enemy  in  disguise, 
and  that  the  so-called  disappearance  was  but  a  removal  of  the 
ghostly  apparel  when  once  the  spy  was  within  the  lines.  He 
proceeded  directly  to  Post  Number  Twelve,  in  order  to  make  a 
minute  examination  of  the  ground,  and  ascertain  whether  the 
ghostly  visitor  had  been  material  enough  to  leave  footprints. 

"  Buy  any  pies  'n'  cakes  ?  All  clane  and  frish;  twenty-five  cents 
for  pies  and  five  cents  a  dozen  for  cakes." 

"  Why  do  you  come  out  here  among  the  rocks  and  bushes  to 
sell  your  wares?"  demanded  the  officer  of  the  woman  whose 
voice  thus  saluted  his  ears. 

"  Shure  an'  isn't  yer  honor  here  to  buy  them?  An'  I  know  if 
you'll  only  be  afther  lookin'  at  thim,  to  see  howfrish  and  tempt 
ing  they're  lookin',  you'll  be  tellin'  me  to  lave  some  at  your  tent," 
replied  the  woman,  insinuatingly. 

"Why  do  you  come  here?"  repeated  the  officer,  sternly,  with 
out  noticing  the  appeal  to  purchase. 

"I'm  jist  on  my  way  to  the  camp,  surr,  from  me  home  foive 
moiles  away  on  the  hill,  and  I  was  stoppin'  here  to  rist  mesilf. 
Me  man's  in  the  Fourteenth  Maryland,  and  he  don't  loike  to  see 
me  all  tired  loike  when  I  come  to  camp." 

"Where  is  your  pass,  if  you  are  a  camp  follower?" 

u  Sure  an*  I'm  the  honest  wife  of  Pathrick  O'Meary,  of  the 
Fourteenth  Maryland,  Company  D,  an'  the  captain — the  saints 
bless  him  for  a  man  that  knows  his  business — has  promised  him 
that  he  shall  be  a  corporal  jist  as  soon  as — 

"  Yery  likely,"  the  officer  cut  her  short  with,  "  but  you  must 
go  to  camp  and  submit  to  a  search  of  your  basket  and  an  inspec 
tion  of  your  papers,  if  you  have  any." 

"Isitsarch  me  you  would,  surr?  A  good  loyal  woman  as  ever 
lived,  and  thries  to  make  a  bit  more  nor  the  government  pay 
would  be  for  the  childer  by  selling  nice  clane  frish  cakes  to  the 
sogers,  as  their  father  is  wan  of  thim,  God  bless 'em." 

"  If  you  are  a  loyal  woman,  you  will  not  object  to  what  I  say. 
If  there  is  nothing  in  your  basket  but  pies  and  cakes,  what  harm 
is  there  in  showing  that  there  isn't?" 

"  It's  an  honest,  loyal  woman  that  I  am,  surr,  and  yez  can  look 
in  my  basket  and  see  as  I  haven't  any  papers  at  all,  at  all." 


Capturing  a  Captain. 


169 


Without  waiting  to  go  back  to  the  camp,  Capt.  G- took  the 

suspected  woman  to  the  picket  post,  where  her  basket  was  thor 
oughly  searched.  Nothing  but  cakes  and  pies  were  found,  and 
the  captain,  baffled,  but  still  somewhat  suspicious,  was  obliged  to 
admit  that  everything  seemed  all  right.  But  suddenly  his  eye 
caught  a  sight  of  what  seemed  to  confirm  his  doubts. 

"Why  do  you  wear  a  pair  of  men's  boots?"  he  asked,  point 
ing  to  her  feet. 

"It's  a  pair  that  he  bought  before  he  'listed,  surr,"  she  replied. 


"  Why  do  you  wear  men's  boots  ?" 

making  the  pronoun  refer  to  her  husband,  after  the  manner  of 
Irish  women  of  the  lower  class,  "  an'  the  grass  is  so  wet  that  me 
own  ould  shoes  don't  kape  out  the  wather." 

Still  the  captain  was  doubtful;  and  after  some  more  talk,  the 
woman  volunteered  the  information  that  some  two  miles  oif,  on 
the  way  to  her  own  home,  was  the  dwelling  of  some  friends  who 
could  prove  that  she  was  neither  a  ghost  or  a  spy.  Thither 

Capt.  Gr •  finally  resolved  to  accompany  her,  and  taking  a 

single  private  with  him,  they  proceeded  on  the  way.  It  was 
then  not  later  than  half-past  eleven.  Noon  came,  but  not  the 
captain.  Another  hour,  and  still  another,  passed  away,  and  still 
the  officer  of  the  guard  was  absent  from  camp. 


170  Capturing  a  Captain. 

Such  a  state  of  affairs  was  not  to  be  tolerated,  and  the  com 
mander  of  the  force  at  the  camp  (which  did  not  include  the 
Fourteenth  Maryland)  sent  out  a  squadron  of  cavalry  to  dash 
up  the  hill  and  reconnoiter.  Another  hour  passed.  It  was  now 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  July  sunshine  beat  fiercely 
down  upon  the  camp  and  all  surrounding  it,  and  the  men  who 
were  anxiously  awaiting  the  result  of  the  reconnoisance  felt  the 
heat  burdensome.  At  last  the  cavalry  was  descried  returning; 
they  came  back  at  full  speed,  notwithstanding  the  heat.  They 
rode  up  to  headquarters;  the  officer  in  command  dismounted, 
and  disappeared  within  the  adjutant's  tent. 

The  whole  regiment  was  on  the  qui  vive,  for  every  man  knew 

the  circumstances  under  which  Capt.  G had  left  camp. 

What  was  to  be  done?  Even  as  they  were  wondering  the  long 
roll  beat,  and  they  must  fly  to  arms.  In  five  minutes  the  whole 
regiment  was  in  line  of  battle,  only  waiting  for  orders  to  move 
onward.  To  the  assembled  men  was  read  the  following  note, 
which  had  been  found  four  miles  from  camp,  stuck  on  the  point 
of  the  bayonet  of  the  musket  belonging  to  the  private  who  had 
accompanied  Capt.  G- : 

«  COL.  D. : 

I  am  willing  to  exchange  the  pics,  cakes  and  basket  for  the  soldier  and 

the  d d  fool  captain  I  caught  with  crinoline.      Peddlers  and  ghosts  are  at  a 

premium  in  these  parts  just  now.  Yours  m  haste,  f 

BLAND, 

First  Lieut.,  C.  S.  A." 

"Whether  the  exchange  was  ever  effected,  history  sayeth  not. 
Lieut.  Bland  certainly  did  not  rate  his  prisoners  very  highly ; 
and  if  the  exchange  did  not  take  place,  we  can  only  infer  that 
the  Federal  officers  thought  the  basket  and  its  contents  more 
valuable  than  the  officer  of  the  guard. 


CHAPTER 


A  SOUTHERN  HEROnSTE. 

A  Woman's  Weapon — A  Reason  for  Refusing  a  Pass — Which  Was  Not  Appre 
ciated —  A  Gallant  Enemy— A  Post  of  Vantage  —  She  Heard  Their  Plans  — 
A  Midnight  Eide — Almost  Caught — Safe  Again — An  Enemy  Not  Whipped 
Out  of  His  Boots. 

ELSEWHEEE  in  this  volume  will  be  found  a  chapter  on 
Miss  Pauline  Cushman,  who,  to  her  reputation  as  an  ac 
tress,  added  a  yet  more  enduring  fame  as  a  spy  for  the  Feder 
als.  As  a  companion  to  the  adventure  of  this  lady's,  there  nar 
rated,  we  would  now  detail  an  exploit  of  a  woman  whose  ser 
vices  were  performed  for  the  benefit  of  the  other  side — the  no 
(less  noted  and  equally  daring  Miss  Belle  Boyd,  the  Rebel  spy. 

Miss  Boyd's  services  had  already  made  her  well  known  both 
to  friend  and  foe,  when  our  story  opens.  Indeed,  she  had  just 
been  released  from  confinement  at  Baltimore,  merely  because 
there  was  no  good  proof  of  any  recent  offense  against  the  Uni 
ted  States  Government,  and  not  because  she  had  given  any  evi 
dence  of  her  loyalty.  A  man,  perhaps,  would  have  been  retain 
ed  in  durance  vile  for  an  indefinite  length  of  time,  under  exactly 
the  same  circumstances;  but  a  woman,  especially  a.  young  and 
pretty  one,  holds  weapons  which  our  clumsy  hands  are  power 
less  to  combat;  even  if  the  gallantry  of  her  opponent  cannot  be 
reckoned  upon,  being  an  infinitesimal  quantity,  she  can  perhaps 
worry  him  into  doing  what  she  wishes  done. 

Perhaps  it  was  not  in  this  way  that  Miss  Boyd  secured  the 
order  from  Gen.  Dix,  permitting  her  to  return  to  the  family  res 
idence  at  Front  Eoyal ;  certainly  Gen.  Dix  was  not  so  well 
convinced  of  her  perfect  innocence  but  that  he  directed  that  she 
should  be  kept  under  strict  surveillance. 

171 


172  A  Southern  Heroine. 

The  lady  was  anxious  to  proceed  to  Eichmond,  where  she  had 
many  friends  and  relatives ;  but  the  pass  given  her  in  Baltimore 
was  only  to  Winchester,  and  it  was  with  considerable  difficulty 
that  at  that  point  she  obtained  the  document  which  would  enable 
her  to  get  to  Front  Eoyal.  Here  Gen.  Shields  himself  was  in 
command,  his  headquarters  being  in  the  very  mansion  where 
Miss  Belle  had  hoped-to  find  a  temporary  home. 

Her  aunt's  family  was  at  home  in  a  small  cottage  in  the  court 
yard,  and  here  their  guest  was  received.  Having  duly  refresh 
ed  the  inner  woman,  she  addressed  a  polite  little  note  to  the  offi 
cer  in  command,  requesting  the  favor  of  a  personal  interview. 
She  had  expected  to  be  informed  of  the  hour  at  which  the  gener 
al  would  receive  her,  but  with  true  Milesian  gallantry,  Gen. 
Shields  forgot  his  official  position,  and  remembered  only  that  he 
was  a  gentleman. 

He  was  of  course  received  with  the  courtesy  due  to  him  in  both 
ways,  and  Miss  Belle  lost  no  time  in  preferring  her  request. 

"  A  pass  to  Eichmond  ?"  he  repeated,  quizzically  ;  "  I  am  ex 
tremely  sorry  to  refuse  you,  Miss  Boyd,  but  the  fact  is,  that  I 
am  compelled,  by  consideration  for  your  own  safety,  to  refuse 
the  document." 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,  sir,"  replied  the  lady,  who  was  in 
truth  not  a  little  puzzled  by  his  giving  such  a  reason. 

"  The  case  is  just  this/'  he  replied,  with  an  air  of  great  mys 
tery;  "old  Jackson's  army  is  between  here  and  Eichmond,  and 
they  are  so  badly  demoralized  that  I  dare  not  trust  a  young 
and  charming  lady  to  their  tender.mercies." 

"I  am  entirely  willing  to  trust  myself,  Gen.  Shields,  in  the 
hands  of  any  Confederate  force  in  the  field,"  retorted  the  lady, 
determined  to  show  him  that  he  could  not  compliment  her  into 
silence  on  the  subject  of  her  desires;  "and  if  you  will  only  give 
me  the  pass,  I  will  sign  a  paper  absolving  you  from  all  respon 
sibility  in  this  connection." 

Her  tone,  like  his,  was  that  of  thelightest badinage;  butunder 
the  light  and  sparkling  exterior  there  lay,  in  both  cases,  a  deter 
mination  as  firm  as  if  they  had  shown  it  in  their  manner. 

"  Ah,"  he  made  answer,  "  I  fear  you  do  not  realize  what  you 
would  undertake  ;  and  I  really  cannot  accept  your  proposition. 
But  I  will  compromise  with  you;  I  am  fully  aware  that  you 
would  outwit  me  sooner  or  later,  were  I  to  attemptto  detain  you 
here  always,  so  I  will  promise  you  this:  we  are  going  to  whip 


A  Southern  Heroine.  173 

Jackson  out  of  his  boots  pretty  soon,  and  then  the  road  to  Rich 
mond  will  be  safer,  and  you  shall  have  the  pass." 

Something  more  to  the  same  effect  followed,  and  though  the 
lady  tried  her  best,  the  soldier  persisted  in  his  refusal,  veiling  it 
under  assurances  of  the  most  friendy  consideration  for  her  wel 
fare.  In  short,  for  the  time  the  cunning  woman  was  completely 
baffled. 

She  did  not  allow  herself  to  be  blinded  to  the  real  state  of  af 
fairs,  however,  though  the  wily  Irishman  thought  that  he  had 
succeeded  in  doing  so.  Her  quick  wit  saw  the  meaning  of 
many  remarks  which  he  allowed  himself  to  let  fall,  and  which 
he  fondly  imagined  would  be  all  Greek  to  a  young  lady;  and  she 
could  not  only  understand  the  information  thus  given,  but  she 
could  forward  it  to  the  enemy  whom  Gen.  Shields  boasted  he 
was  going  to  "  whip  out  of  his  boots." 

To  all  appearances  they  were  the  best  of  friends;  and  some  of 
the  young  officers  on  the  general's  staff  whom  he  introduced  to 
her,  were  equally  forgetful  of  the  mighty  struggle  raging  about 
them.  Indeed,  she  obtained  not  a  little  information  of  consid 
erable  importance  to  the  Confederates  from  one  of  these  officers, 
who  of  course  was  wholly  unconscious  of  giving  aid  and  comfort 
to  the  enemies  of  his  country. 

At  last  Gen.  Shields  decided  to  make  a  movement  of  some 
importance  which  he  had  contemplated  for  some  time  past. 
Thanks  to  her  friend  the  captain,  Miss  Belle  was  fully  acquaint 
ed  with  the  fact  that  the  forces  were  about  to  be  removed  from 
Front  Royal,  but  definite  information  as  to  their  objective  point 
and  other  particulars  she  could  not  obtain  without  cross-ques 
tioning  him,  and  she  feared  to  excite  his  suspicions  by  seeming 
to  take  an  interest  in  the  movements  of  the  troops ;  nor  was  her 
tender  solicitude  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  one  particular  staff- 
officer  productive  of  anything  more  than  a  vow  to  be  at  her  side 
as  often  as  the  duty  of  a  soldier  would  allow. 

Now,  the  gallant  captain  was  a  very  pleasant  companion,  es 
pecially  when  she  could,  without  exciting  his  suspicions,  worm 
from  him  any  information  which  his  position  on  Gen.  Shield's 
staff  made  him  the  master  of;  but  vows  of  eternal  constancy 
were  not  a  satisfactory  substitute,  and  the  lady,  in  her  impati 
ence,  could  hardly  refrain  from  telling  him  so.  She  restrained 
herself,  however,  and  cudgeled  her  wits  for  some  other  mode  of 
getting  certain  and  reliable  intelligence  of  their  plans.  A  council 


174 


A  Southern  Heroine. 


of  war  was  to  be  held  on  a  certain  night ;  the  next  morning  the 
troops  would  probably  be  on  the  move  and  the  Confederates 
must  know  their  intentions. 

Considering  the  matter  calmly,  Miss  Belle  finally  absolved  the 
captain  from  the  charge  of  tantalizing  cruelty  which  she  had 
privately  made  against  him;  not  even  a  staff-officer  could  tell 
more  than  he  knew,  and  no  one  could  exactly  foretell  what 
would  be  the  result  of  their  deliberations  that  night;  she  would 
have  no  interview  with  the  captain  afterward  •  it  was  clear, 
then,  that  she  must  be  an  auditor  at  their  deliberations. 

It  would  seem  that  such  a  determination  was  more  easily 
formed  than  executed ;  but  she  was  well  aware  of  the  means  on 

which  she  could  depend.  The 
council,  as  she  knew,  would  be 
held  in  the  apartment  formerly 
used  as  a  drawing-room ;  direct 
ly  over  this  was  a  bed-room,  now 
untenanted.  Through  the  floor 
of  the  closet  opening  into  this 
chamber  a  hole  had  been  bored, 
to  serve  some  long-forgotten  pur 
pose.  This  was  her  post  of  ob 
servation,  and  a  better  one  she 
could  not  have  had. 

The  occupants  of  the  cottage 
which  we  have  mentioned  as  used 
by  the  famijy  whose  residence 
Gen.  Shields  had  temporarily 
appropriated  for  himself  and  his 
staff,  were  of  course  so  far  privi 
leged  as  to  be  unquestioned  in 
the-ir  movements  about  the 
It  awakened  no  suspicion,  then, 
if  any  of  the  Federals  chanced  to  see  Miss  Belle,  about  the  time 
that  the  council  was  to  assemble,  stealing  noiselessly  through 
the  halls  and  up  the  stairs  of  the  larger  house.  But  in  all  prob 
ability  she  was  unobserved  as  she  left  her  own  apartment,  and 
made  her  way  to  that  spacious  front  chamber.  Applying  her 
ear  to  that  blessed  perforation  (for  so  she  could  not  help  but 
style  it  to  herself),  she  found,  to  her  great  satisfaction,  that  she 
could  hear  distinctly  every  word  that  was  uttered  ;  and  although 


"Her  very  life  seemed  centered  in 
her  ears" 

grounds  and  the  larger  edificec 


A  Southern  Heroine.  175 

she  could  not  see  them,  she  was  sufficiently  familiar  with  their 
voices  to  distinguish  the  utterances  of  each  individual,  and  thus 
the  conference  was  much  more  intelligible  to  her  than  it  would 
have  been  to  a  stranger. 

Hour  after  hour  she  lay  there,  prostrate  upon  the  floor  of 
the  closet;  fgr  the  conference  was  a  long  one,  and  many  points 
of  importance  were  discussed.  She  dared  not  stir  a  limb,  she 
scarcely  dared  to  breathe,  lest  her  presence  be  detected ;  and 
she  well  knew  what  would  be  the  result.  For  herself  she  cared 
less  than  for  the  inevitable  loss  of  the  assistance  which  she  hoped 
to  render  this  very  night  to  the  Confederacy.  Her  very  life 
seemed  centered  in  her  ears;  every  word  was  treasured  in  her 
memory,  for  she  knew  not  how  much  of  this  information  might 
be  of  incalculable  value  to  the  army  which  she  served.  Mid 
night  came,  and  found  them  still  debating  and  arranging;  an 
other  hour  passed,  and  at  last  they  arose  from  the  council  table 
and  separated  until  the  morning.  As  they  passed  out  into  the 
hall,  she  stole  to  the  head  of  the  back  stairs;  the  coast  was 
clear;  they  had  not  thought  it  worth  while  to  post  a  guard  any 
where  near  the  council  chamber,  and  in  her  inmost  heart  she 
blessed  them  for  this  disregard  of  the  usual  military  precaution. 

Silently  she  crept  to  the  back  door  of  the  hall,  keeping  care 
fully  in  the  shadows.  She  heard  their  regular  tread  as  they  as 
cended  the  broad  stairway ;  then  they  went  each  to  the  room  in 
which  he  was  to  sleep  that  night  for  the  last  time.  Not  until 
she  heard  the  last  one  close  his  door  behind  him,  did  she  ven 
ture  to  turn  the  knob  softly. 

But  she  was  not  yet  ready  to  set  out  on  the  perilous  errand  of 
transmitting  this  information  to  the  Southern  officer  whom  she 
knew  was  most  easily  reached.  Stealing  across  the  court-yard, 
she  entered  the  cottage  and  went  straight  to  her  own  room. 
Here,  by  the  light  of  a  single  carefully  shaded  candle  (for  her 
past  services  to  the  Confederacy  were  such  that  anything  unus 
ual  might  be  the  means  of  arousing  the  suspicions  of  some  wake 
ful  officer),  she  wrote  down  in  the  cypher  with  which  she  had 
been  furnished  every  word  of  the  discussion  which  her  retentive 
memory  supplied.  This  she  regarded  as  a  necessary  precaution, 
for  she  could  not  tell  how  brief  the  interview  would  have  to  be. 
At  last,  however,  the  task  was  completed. 

But  the  most  difficult  part  of  her  work  remained  to  be  done. 
Ashby  must  be  informed  of  the  intentions  of  his  enemy.  There 


176  A  Southern  Heroine. 

were  plenty  of  servants  around  who  would  have  done  anything 
for  Miss  Belle  ;  for  a  sort  of  personal  magnetism  seems  to  have 
been  one  of  the  most  eifective  weapons  in  her  well-stocked  arm- 
ory;  but  on  any  of  them  she  dared  not  call.  A  foot-fall  a  trifle 
too  heavy,  a  gleam  of  light  from  an  unshaded  lantern,  the  sound 
of  a  whispering  voice — any  of  these  things  so  unusual  at  that 
hour,  might  arouse  a  soldier,  and  then  good-bye  to  all  hopes  of 
rendering  assistance  to  the  Southern  forces,  either  at  that  time  or 
any  other.  It  was  alone,  then,  that  she  made  her  way  to  the 
stables,  treading  as  softly  as  the  cat  stealing  into  the  dairy  when 
the  mistress  is  in  sight.  Her  own  saddle-horse  stood  there 
fleet  and  spirited  ;  she  well  knew  what  absolute  dependence  she 
might  place  upon  him.  Hastily  saddling  him,  she  led  him  slowly 
out  of  the  stable-yard,  muffling  his  foot-falls  by  guiding  him 
along  the  grassy  edges  of  the  carriage-way.  Once  out  of  the 
grounds  of  her  aunt's  house,  she  had  less  need  of  caution;  speed 
was  more  essential;  for  the  sound  of  hoofs  along  the  highway 
need  not  excite  suspicion.  Away  she  galloped,  shaping  her 
course  rather  by  the  stars  than  by  roads,  straight 'towards  the 
point  at  which  Col.  Ashby  had  had  his  headquarters  when  she  had 
last  communicated  with  him.  But  suddenly  it  seemed  as  if  she 
had  met  with  a  difficulty  which  shacould  not  surmount.  Straight 
in  her  way  stood  a  sentinel,  in  the  well-known  blue. 

"Halt!  Who  goes  there?"  he  demanded  in  stereotyped 
phrase. 

"A  friend,  with  a  pass  from  G-en.  Shields/'  she  answered 
boldly. 

The  night  was  a  clear,  starlight  one,  but  there  was  no  moon  ; 
she  had  in  her  possession  a  pass  which  she  had  that  very  day 
procured  from  the  Federal  commandant  for  a  Confederate  sol 
dier  returning  South  after  being  exchanged;  this  she  determin 
ed  to  make  use  of,  trusting  that  the  sentry  would  not  deem  a 
close  examination  necessary  after  he  saw  that  the  document  was 
drawn  up  in  due  form. 

The  man  extended  his  hand  for  the  paper  which  she  had  drawn 
from  her  bosom,  and  glanced  at  it ;  his  eyes,  accustomed  to  the 
darkness,  could  discern  that  it  was  on  a  printed  form,  and  he 
saw  that  the  familiar  signature  was  appended.  He  therefore 
handed  it  back  to  her,  and  lowered  the  weapon  with  which  he 
had  at  first  barred  her  passage.  She  was  safe  from  him. 

Onward  she  galloped,  only  to  be  again  brought  to  a  standstill 


A  Southern  Heroine. 


177 


by  the  sentry  of  the  outer  chain  ;  for  there  were  two  lines  of 
guards  about  the  town.  But  this  second  one  proved  to  be  no 
more  suspicious  of  evil  than  his  comrade  had  been,  and  she  pass 
ed  him  with  as  little  delay.  And  now  she  was  free  from  the  sur 
veillance  of  the  enemy;  and  she  taxed  her  horse's  speed  to  the  ut 
most.  Away,  almost  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  across  fields, 
through  groves,  along  the  highway,  skirting  the  dangerously 
soft  ground  of  the  intervening  marshes,  faster,  faster  still,  until 
she  was  fifteen  miles  from  her  starting-point. 

She  drew  rein  before  a  large,  fBIBHHHlHHHHI^^D 
rambling  dwelling,  of  plain 
but  substantial  aspect.  This 
was  her  destination  for  the 
present,  for  here,  as  she  had 
good  reason  for  being  sure, 
the  daring  and  dashing  Col. 
Ashby  had  for  some  time  had 
his  headquarters;  and  he 
would  find  sure  means  oftrans- 
mitting  any  information  of 
importance  to  his  chief,  the 
famous  "Stonewall"  Jackson. 

Springing  from  her  horse, 
she  ran  lightly  up  the  steps  of 
the  mansion,  and  fairly  thun 
dered  at  the  door.  In  her  im 
patience,  the  minutes  seemed 
interminable,  and  after  the 
lapse  of  a  time  so  short  that 
the  echo  of  the  original  sound 
had  not  died  away,  she  repeat 
ed  the  summons  in  the  same 
vehement  manner. 

"Who's  there?"  came  the 
sharp  query,  in  a  woman's 

voice,  from  the   window  just     L_^._ •_  —  -" ^l^^^^J^l 

over  the  door.  The  Urgent  Midnight  Message. 

She  recognized  the  speaker  as  Mrs.  M ,  the  mistress  of  the 

mansion,  and  knew  at  once  that  Col.  Ashby  was  not  to  be  found 
there,  or  the  summons  would  not  have  been  answered  by  a 
woman. 


178  A  Southern  Heroine. 

11  Belle  Boyd,"  came  the  answer,  in  quick,  nervous  tones,  that 
betrayed  the  excitement  of  the  newcomer. 

"Belle  Boyd !"  echoed  the  elder  lady,  who  had  expected  to 
hear  the  answer  come  in  a  man's  deep  voice;  then  added,  hastily: 
"  wait  a  minute;  I'll  come  down." 

"It  is  Col.  Ashby  that  I  want  to  see,"  replied  the  spy;" 
"where  is  he?" 

But  the  lady  had  already  disappeared  from  the  window,  and 
soon  opened  the  door  to  her  unexpected  guest. 

ft  My  dear,"  she  exclaimed,  with  motherly  solicitude  for  the 
girl  whom  she  had  known  since  infancy,  "you  surely  do  not 
mean  to  say  that  you  have  come  from  Front  Royal  to-night.  Who 
is  with  you  ?" 

"  I  am  alone,"  returned  the  young  lady,  as  calmly  as  if  such 
midnight  jaunts  were  quite  the  approved  thing  for  an  unprotec 
ted  female  ;  "and  since  I  have  come  all  this  distance  in  this  man 
ner,  you  may  know  how  urgent  is  my  errand  to  Col.  Ashby ; 
where  is  he?" 

"He  is  in  camp,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  in  the  woods/'  re 
plied  Mrs.  M ,  anxiously  considering  the  possibility  of  finding 

an  escort  for  her  young  friend. 

"At  the  same  camp  as  before?"  asked  Miss  Belle;  "then, 
good-bye,  for  I  am  otf." 

And  before  the  astonished  elder  lady  could  utter  a  word  of  re 
monstrance,  she  had  run  down  the  steps  and  was  in  the  act  of  re 
mounting.  Just  at  this  juncture  a  familiar  voice  accosted  her: 

"  From  what  cloud  did  you  drop,  Miss  Belle  ?" 

"  It  seems  to  be  nearer  the  point  to  ask  from  what  cloud  you 
have  dropped,  Col.  Ashby,"  she  retorted,  saucily,  as  she  turned 
from  her  horse  toward  the  door  at  which  he  had  so  unexpected 
ly  appeared  ;  having  changed  his  plans  after  seeing  Mrs.  M , 

and  returned  without  her  knowledge  to  the  house. 

"  Is  it  really  you,  or  am  I  dreaming  ?"  he  continued,  scarcely 
able  even  yet  to  realize  the  situation. 

"  I  have  a  strong  impression  that  it  is  the  real  Belle  Boyd,  and 
not  the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision,"  she  rejoined,  mockingly; 
"  and  when  you  have  heard  my  story,  perhaps  you  will  realize 
that  you  are  as  wide  awake  as  you  ever  were." 

Briefly  she  told  of  that  night's  council  of  war  ;  of  her  post  of 
vantage;  of  the  many  plans  discussed  ;  of  those  which  were  re 
garded  with  favor,  and  of  route  and  destination  decided  upon. 


A  Southern  Heroine.  179 

"And  here,"  she  concluded,  "  is  the  whole  thing  written  out 
in  the  cypher  agreed  upon,  so  that  you  can  study  it  at  your  leis 
ure." 

The  warmth  of  the  thanks  was  no  doubt  in  proportion  to  the 
value  of  the  services  rendered  and  the  difficulties  which  the  fair 
spy  had  encountered  and  surmounted. 

"  And  now,  my  dear,"  put  in  Mrs.  M ,  who  had  been  anx 
iously  waiting  for  this  conference  to  end,  "  come  in  and  rest  a 
while  ;  you  must  be  nearly  tired  to  death." 

"No,  I  am  not  tired,"  replied  the  younger  lady ;"  that  is,  not 
so  very;  and  I  must  be  back  at  Front  Royal  before  daylight." 

"  You  can  never  do  it  in  the  world,"  ejaculated  the  good  soul; 
"ride  back  through  all  that  lonely  distance  !" 

"  It  is  no  lonelier  than  when  I  came,"  returned  the  heroic  girl, 
laughing  banteringly  at  the  horrified  tone  in  which  the  remon 
strance  was  uttered  ;  "  and  besides,  I  am  taking  good  care  of  my 
self  in  going;  for  if  I  did  not  return,  they  would  see  into  the 
whole  thing,  and  if  they  ever  caught  me,  they  would  be  sure  to 
hang  me  as  a  spy." 

"I  don't  believe  even  the  Yankees  would  hang  a  lady,"  began 

Mrs.  M ,  in  a  tone  of  deep  conviction  ;  but  the  person  whose 

fate  was  thus  being  discussed  cut  the  debate  short  with  a  laugh 
ing  adieu,  and  galloped  off. 

Her  night's  work  was  not  yet  at  an  end  ;  for  as  she  was  aware 
and  had  hinted  to  her  friend,  any  suspicion  of  her  doings  would 
not  only  result  in  her  own  apprehension,  but  in  such  a  change  of 
the  enemy's  plans  as  to  make  the  information,  obtained  and  trans 
mitted  with  such  difficulty,  practically  worthless. 

She  chose  a  slightly  different  road  in  returning,  hoping  to 
elude  the  sentries,  as  her  pass  would  hardly  account  for  her 
speedy  return.  In  this  effort  she  was  only  partially  successful. 
She  managed  to  pass  the  outer  chain  wholly  unobserved,  and  was 
now  approaching  the  inner  line.  Once  within  that  charmed  cir 
cle,  she  would  be  safe;  for  although  the  proverbial  "darkest 
hour"  of  the  night  was  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close,  she  knew  that, 
if  unhindered,  she  would  be  able  to  reach  the  shelter  of  her  own 
chamber  before  the  Federal  drums  should  sound  the  reveille.  A 
few  whispered  words  of  encouragement,  and  her  tired  horse 
pricked  up  his  ears,  and  nerved  himself  to  fresh  efforts.  She 
hoped  to  dash  unquestioned  by  the  sentinel,  whom  from  his  pos 
ture  she  judged  was  sleeping  at  his  post.  One  moment  more,  and 


180  A  Southern  Heroine. 

she  would  be  safe,  for  even  if  he  awoke  just  as  she  passed,  asud' 
den  turn  in  the  road  at  this  point  would  shelter  her  from  sight. 

But  alas  for  her  calculations.  The  sleeping  sentry  awoke,  not 
as  she  passed,  but  as  she  approached.  He  challenged  her;  she? 
knowing  that  her  only  chance  was  in  flight,  urged  her  horse  on 
ward;  he  raised  his  gun. 

"Halt!"  he  cried  in  tones  loud  enough,  it  seemed  to  her,  to 
arouse  Gen.  Shields  himself. 

She  dashed  onward,  and  hoped  to  escape  so  ;  nor  was  she  mis 
taken  ;  the  abrupt  turn  in  the  road  was  an  effectual  shield.  And 
she  was  too  well  acquianted  with  the  rules  of  war  to  fear  the  sen 
try  would  betray  her ;  he  could  not  do  so  without  confessing  that 
he  had  slept  upon  his  post — a  capital  offense  in  a  soldier. 

At  last  she  had  reached  her  starting-point.  Unsaddling  her 
horse,  and  providing  for  his  comfort,  she  entered  the  cottage, 
and  gained  her  own  chamber  just  as  the  first  rosy  streaks  appear 
ed  in  the  eastern  sky. 

Leaving  a  sufficient  force  at  Front  Eoyal  to  hold  the  Confed 
erates  at  bay,  Gen.  Shields  set  out  on  the  proposed  expedition  • 
but  if  he  was  not  exactly  the  counterpart  of  the  gallant  Seces 
sionist  who,  as  the  poet  relates  : 

"  Went  out  to  capture  Yankees — 
— But  the  Yankees  captured  him  " — 

he  certainly  did  not  succeed  in  whipping  the  redoubtable  Stone 
wall  "out  of  his  boots."  How  far  this  was  due  to  the  efforts 
of  Belle  Boyd  is  a  question  for  the  reader  to  determine. 


A  SPY'S  ADVENTURE. 

The  Spy — His  Work  Done — Leaving  the  Camp — Hunting  the  Boat — A  Vain  Search 
— His  Character  Suspected  in  Camp — Pursued — Bloodhounds — The  Stream 
—Nearly  Caught— The  Dog's  Fate— The  Spy's  Escape. 

nplHE  spy's  life  is  one  of  danger, while  he  is  but  little  honored 
I  even  by  those  whom  he  serves.  He  is  a  base  creature — he 
who  stoops  to  deceive;  and  the  name  of  his  office  is  a  synonym  of 
much  that  is  vile  and  nothing  that  is  good.  If  he  performs  his 
services,  he  receives,  sometimes,  the  thanks  and  praise  of  the 
commander,  but  his  comrades  look  upon  him  with  a  feelingthat 
is  half  jealousy,  half  contempt;  if  he  fails,  there  is  but  one  mode 
of  punishing  him — that  reserved  for  the  meanest  of  criminals; 
the  form  of  death  which  Andre  prayed  might  be  spared  him, 
which  Hale  so  heroically  endured.  And  the  spy's  name  is  re 
membered  only  by  those  at  home,  who  have  waited  so  patiently 
for  his  letters. 

Yet  the  work  is  difficult,  and  extremely  necessary.  In  spite  of 
the  dangers  it  presents,  of  the  slight  regard  in  which  the  indi 
vidual  is  held,  there  are  men  who  willingly  undertake  and  reso 
lutely  perform  it.  As  the  boy  delights  to  dart  over  the  places 
marked  "  dangerous,"  and  thinks  rather  of  the  going  where  no 
one  else  dare  venture  than  of  the  black  waters  und  er  the  thin  ice, 
so  the  man  finds  a  certain  satisfaction  in  undertaking  a  task  more 
perilous  than  his  comrades  will  essay,  and  no  shadow  of  a  noose 
falls  across  his  calmly  courageous  mind.  Yet  the  boy  who  hears 
the  ice  cracking  beneath  his  feet  feels  the  chill  waters  already 
engulfing  him;  and  the  spy  who  finds  one  part  of  his  plan  fail 
him  feels  an  uncomfortable  stricture  of  the  windpipe.  Let  us 
follow  the  fortunes  of  a  certain  Missourian,  who,  in  the  spring  and 
181 


182  A  Spy's  Adventure. 

summer  of  1862,  had  been  acting  in  this  capacity  for  Gen.  Curtis, 
commanding  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas. 

His  name  has  not  been  preserved  in  any  of  the  various  records 
that  have  comedown  to  us  from  the  days  of  the  war;  for  to  have 
published  it  then,  or  while  sectional  feeling  was  still  bitter,  though 
open  combat  was  ended,  would  have  been  worse  than  useless;  it 
would  have  been  fraught  with  the  greatest  danger  to  the  spy. 
Let  us  recount  the  story  of  one  of  his  adventures,  then  ;  a  story 
which,  though  unsupported  by  his  name,  rests  upon  the  best  au 
thorities  of  its  own  time. 

Ten  days  had  been  spent  in  hanging  around  the  outskirts  of 
the  camp,  talking,  laughing,  drinking,  betting  with  the  Confeder 
ates,  and  cautiously  securing  as  much  information  as  possible 
without  arousing  suspicion.  At  last  he  had  obtained  satisfactory 
answers  to  all  the  questions  which  had  been  given  to  him,  and 
he  determined  to  get  back  to  the  Federal  lines  while  his  news 
was  still  fresh  enough  to  be  of  value.  Stealing  away  from  his 
late  boon  companions,  he  bent  his  steps  towards  the  stream 
where  he  had  concealed  his  skiff. 

The  night  was  a  dark  one.  The  feeble  rays  of  the  new  moon 
were  wholly  obscured  by  the  thick  clouds  that  had  gathered  over 
the  sky,  hiding  the  stars,  and  threatening  every  moment  to  pour 
a  torrent  of  rain  upon  the  parched  earth.  The  spy  stole  silently 
onward,  cautious  as  an  Indian  approaching  an  unsuspicious  foe 
that  not  a  twig  should  snap  under  his  foot.  So  he  stole  past  the 
pickets,  though  compelled  to  make  a  wide  detour  in  order  to  es 
cape  their  watchful  eyes.  He  reached  the  border  of  the  wood 
that  fringed  the  stream,  and  peered  through  the  darkness  in  the 
direction  where  only  the  sullen  murmur  of  the  waters  betrayed 
the  presence  of  the  rivulet;  but,  in  the  intense  darkness,  not  a 
landmark  could  be  discerned.  He  stooped  to  the  earth,  and 
groped  along  on  his  hands  and  knees;  but  could  find  nothing 
familiar,  nothing  to  tell  him  where  he  was.  Yet  he  was  so  near 
to  the  Confederate  pickets  that  the  slightest  sound  might  betray 
him. 

Under  the  shelter  of  the  thick  bushes  that,  growing  out  from 
the  side  of  the  bank,  lined  the  edge  of  the  stream,  there  was 
hidden  his  boat;  but  where?  Was  it  above  or  below  him,  and 
how  far?  As  he  vainly  endeavored  to  find  some  familiar  object, 
however  trifling, -a  cold  sweat  bathed  every  limb.  His  character 
would  be  revealed  by  his  departure;  how  soon  his  enemies  would 


A  Spy's  Adventure.  183 

find  out  that  he  had  gone  he  could  not  tell ;  it«might  be  discovered 
an  hour  hence,  it  might  have  been  noticed  already.  The  plash 
ing  of  the  stream  against  its  banks,  the  shrill  noise  of  insects,  the 
plaintive  song  of  the  whip-poor-will,  the  deep  bass  of  the  frogs, 
all  united  in  a  chorus  of  mockery  at  his  perilous  and  utterly  help 
less  state. 

The  Federal  pickets  must  be  reached  before  dawn,  or  our  spy 
would  stretch  Confederate  rope — one  of  those  grim  acorns  which 
the  old  French  king  loved  to  see  hanging  from  the  oaks  around 
his  summer  castle.  There  was  not  a  moment  to  be  lost;  the  boat 
could  not  be  found,  and  he  prepared  to  wade  and  swim  the  stream 
that  separated  the  two  armies.  Cautiously  he  descended  the 
steep  bank,  clinging  to  the  bushes  to  preserve  his  footing;  a 
single  misstep,  a  single  unwary  movement,  a  stone  displaced  and 
rolling  into  the  water,  might  alarm  the  enemy ;  for  he  knew  not 
but  that  there  was  a  guard  within  a  bayonet's  length.  He  gained 
at  last  the  narrow  strip  of  wet  and  sandy  shore  that  borders  the 
shoaling  stream,  and  stepped  cautiously  into  the  water.  Not  a 
moment  too  soon  had  he  made  the  resolution  to  cross  without 
further  search  for  his  boat;  for  as*  he  felt  the  cool  current  upon 
his  fevered  skin,  he  heard  the  deep  bay  of  a  bloodhound.  The 
enemy  had  already  discovered  his  absence,  suspected  his  mission 
and  started  in  pursuit.  The  unerring  instinct  of  their  terrible 
ally  had  put  them  at  o»nce  on  his  track. 

There  was  still  hope  of  eluding  them,  however,  for  the  hound 
would  lose  the  scent  at  the  edge  of  the  stream  ;  the  bloodhound's 
instinct,  like  the  witch's  power,  cannot  cross  the  midst  of  the  cur 
rent.  But  to  cross  directly  was  to  expose  himself  to  their  view, 
in  case  the  clouds  should  for  one  instant  draw  away  from  the 
sky;  he  dared  not  risk  it.  Wading  down  the  stream,  still  shel 
tered  from  sight  by  the  overhanging  bushes,  he  heard  the  pur 
suers  coming  nearer  and  nearer ;  he  could  hear  the  dog  pushing 
aside  the  branches  as  he  made  his  way  along  the  bank,  search 
ing  for  the  lost  scent.  The  uneasy  growls  of  the  brute  were 
music  in  the  ear  of  the  spy,  for  they  told  that  the  scent  had  been 
lost — might  it  long  be  unfound  ! 

Devoutly  praying  thus,  his  knee  suddenly  struck  upon  some 
thing  harder  than  the  water,  more  regular  in  form  than  a  stone. 
It  was  the  gunwale  of  a  boat.  In  the  joyful  surprise  of  the  mo 
ment,  he  could  hardly  repress  the  cry  that  rose  to  his  lips ;  and 
with  trembling  hands  he  began  to  search  for  the  painter  almost 


184  A  Spy's  Adventure. 

before  he  was  fairly  in  the  little  vessel.  It  was  found,  and  the 
boat,  the  very  one  which  he  had  sought  so  unsuccessfully,  was  cut 
loose  from  her  moorings  just  as  the  moon  came  out  from  behind 
a  cloud  and  revealed  the  surroundings.  In  all  probability,  the 
pursuers  had  no  boat  near;  they  would  be  obliged  to  lose  time 
which  would  be  of  incalculable  advantage  to  him. 

But  the  sudden  glimpse  of  the  moonlight  showed  him  more 
than  the  boat  in  the  dark  waters,  shadowed  by  the  overhanging 
bushes.  On  the  log,  half-buried  in  the  earth,  to  which  his  boat 
had  been  secured,  crouched  the  bloodhound  ;  and  as  the  spy  cut 
the  rope  and  grasped  the  oars,  the  dog  sprang  towards  him.  With 
desperate  energy  the  soldier  pushed  off,  hoping  that  the  animal 
might  miss  his  mark  and  fall  into  the  river;  but  it  was  of  no 
avail.  The  savage  brute  had  sprung  at  the  throat  of  his  prey  ; 
he  fell  short  of  that,  indeed,  as  the  boat  darted  from  the  shore, 
but  he  clung  with  a  firm  hold  to  the  side  of  the  boat. 

The  spy  raised  an  oar,  and  aimed  a  blow  at  the  brute's  head  ; 
but  the  dog  evaded  the  stroke.  In  his  effort  to  do  so,  however, 
and  the  sudden  movement  of  the  man,  the  boat  careened  side 
ways,  and  the  water  rushed  in,  in  a  torrent.  The  blow  evaded, 
the  dog,  to  enable  himself  to  scramble  into  the  boat,  seized  the 
gunwale  in  his  teeth.  Action  must  be  quick,  now,  if  the  spy 
would  escape,  for  in  a  moment  more  the  dog  would  be  at  his 
throat.  His  revolver  was  aimed  and  cocked;  but  a  shot  would  be 
tray  his  whereabouts  to  his  human  enemies,  and  would  be  answer 
ed  by  a  shower  of  balls  from  them.  He  dared  not  shoot,  then, 
though  the  red  eyes  of  the  hound  were  glaring  savagely  at  him, 
though  the  dog  was  making  strenuous  efforts  to  spring  into  the 
boat. 

There  was  but  one  resource  remaining.  Throwing  the  pistol 
from  him  into  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  the  spy  drew  his  bowie- 
knife,  keen  as  a  razor,  and  shining  blue  in  the  fitful  moonlight. 
He  leaned  towards  the  dog,  and  in  an  instant  more  had  drawn 
the  sharp  edge  from  side  to  side  across  the  animal's  throat,  cut 
ting  through  the  brawn  and  muscles  to  the  nape  of  the  neck. 
The  red  eyes,  that  had  gleamed  so  furiously  upon  him,  lost  their 
dreadful  lustre;  the  grasp  of  the  firm  white  teeth  on  the  gun 
wale  relaxed  ;  the  huge  body  sank  into  the  water  that  closed 
above  it  with  hardly  a  ripple ;  and  he  was  safe  from  the  one 
pursuer. 

Five  minutes  more,   and  the  spy  had  reached  the  opposite 


186 


A.  Spy's  Adventure. 


A  Spy's  Adventure.  187 

shore.  He  was  safe;  for  the  Confederates  dared  not  follow  him 
to  a  point  so  near  the  Federal  lines.  That  very  night  he  gave 
his  information  at  headquarters,  and  in  a  few  days  was,  in  an 
other  disguise,  seeking  for  "green  fields  and  pastures  new" 
among  the  enemy's  tents. 


ESCAPING  THE  DEATH-PENALTY. 

At  Lexington — A  Violated  Parole — Alton  Penitentiary — Solitary  Confinement — 
A  Mysterious  Door— The  Mystery  Solved — Difficulties  of  the  Undertaking — 
The  Tunnel— A  Friendly  Boatman — Alarmed — Puzzled  Guards — A  Generous 
Comrade — Final  Escape. 

A  PEISONEK  of  war,  who  had  been  tried  by  a  court-martial, 
J~\  found  guilty  of  one  of  the  gravest  offenses  known  to  mil- 
tary  law,  and  condemned  to  death,  would  most  certainly  be  so 
closely  guarded  as  to  prevent  all  effort  at  escape.  The  one  with 
whom  our  present  story  deals,  was  confined  in  an  upper  room  of 
a  strong  building,  through  the  iron-barred  windows  of  which 
many  another  prisoner  had  looked,  in  vain  longing,  at  the  free 
air  without.  To  this  apartment  there  was  but  one  mode  of  ac 
cess,  a  door  opening  upon  an  outside  staircase  ;  and  here  a  sen 
tinel  was  stationed  day  and  night.  This  stairway  led  down  into 
an  inclosure  surrounded  by  walls  fifteen  or  eighteen  feet  high, 
guarded  as  vigilantly  as  prison  yards  usually  are.  "What  were 
the  chances  of  escape  for  such  a  man  ? 

Col.  Ebenezer  Magoffin,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Pettis.Co.,  Mo., 
and  a  brother  of  Gov.  Beriah  Magoffin  of  Kentucky,  was  held  at 
Lexington,  Mo.,  as  a  prisoner.  It  became  necessary  for  him  to 
attend  to  some  private  business  of  importance,  and  as  his  deten 
tion  was  only  a  precautionary  measure,  he  was  paroled  to  en 
able  him  to  do  so.  During  his  absence,  Gen.  Price  drew  his 
lines  closer  and  closer  around  the  beautiful  eminence  on  which 
the  Northern  forces  were  entrenched;  the  besiegers  cut  the 
garrison  off  from  the  river;  the  cisterns  within  the  fortifications 
went  dry;  and  in  September,  1861,  the  famishing  Federals  sur 
rendered. 

188 


Escaping  the  Death-Penalty.  189 

Col.  Magoffin  heard  of  the  capitulation,  and  supposed  himself 
free,  since  to  return  to  Col.  Mulligan  would  be  to  place  himself 
in  the  custody  of  that  officer's  captor.  Acting  on  this  opinion,  he 
joined  a  body  of  something  more  than  six  hundred  volunteers 
from  that  portion  of  the  State,  whose  purpose  it  was  to  report  to 
G-en.  Price.  But  this  intention  was  frustrated  by  a  force  of  wary 
Federals,  who  captured  the  whole  regiment  at  their  camp  on 
Blackwater. 

Col.  Magoffin  of  course  supposed  that  he  would  be  treated  as 
the  other  prisoners  were  with  whom  he  was  taken.  Instead  of 
this,  he  was  brought  before  a  court-martial  for  breaking  his  parole. 
The  Federal  authorities  claimed  that  when  he  heard  of  Mulligan's 
capture,  he  should  have  surrendered  himself  to  some  official,  civ 
il  or  military,  of  the  United  States  Government.  Under  this  in 
terpretation  of  his  duty  he  was  of  course  guilty;  and  so  the  court- 
martial  decided. 

The  offense  was  a  capital  one,  and  the  condemned  man  was 
placed  in  solitary  confinement  in  one  of  the  cells  of  the  Peniten 
tiary  at  Alton,  Illinois,  whither  the  prisoners  had  been  removed 
after  six  weeks'  incarceration  in  McDowell's  Medical  College 
(Gratiot  St.  Prison)  in  St.  Louis. 

So  much  of  explanation  is  not  only  due  to  Col.  Magoffin,  as 
showing  that  he  had  not  intentionally  committed  the  offense  es 
teemed  most  dishonorable  in  an  officer  and  a  gentleman,  but  is 
necessary  to  the  proper  understanding  of  some  portions  of  our 
story. 

Then,  as  always,  political  influence  availed  much,  even  for  a 
condemned  "  Rebel";  and  a  respite  was  secured,  pending  efforts 
to  procure  a  pardon.  The  Penitentiary  building  had  been  aban 
doned  by  the  State  of  Illinois,  on  account  of  the  insalubrity  of 
its  situation  ;  the  dampness  of  the  cells  being  the  cause  of  much 
sickness  and  some  deaths  among  the  convicts.  Its  use  as  a  mili 
tary  prison  was  open  to  the  same  objection,  as  was  shown  by  the 
mortality  among  the  prisoners.  Confinement  in  the  cells  was 
especially  injurious,  and  Col.  Magoffin's  health  had  suffered  ser 
iously.  It  was  represented  to  the  authorities  that  although  they 
might  have  a  right  to  execute  him  for  an  offense  which  military 
law  decrees  shall  be  so  punished,  they  had  no  right  to  kill  him 
by  inches ;  especially  as  he  had  been  respited  for  the  express 
purpose  of  bringing  the  matter  before  the  President,  that  he 
might  decide  if  the  parole  had  really  been  broken.  The  prison- 


190  Escaping  the  Death-Penalty. 

cr  was  accordingly  removed  to   another  apartment,   drier  than 
the  cell,  but  considered  equally  secure. 

In  order  to  understand  clearly  the  difficulties  of  escape  and  the 
means  by  which  they  were  surmounted,  some  description  of  the 
prison  grounds  will  be  necessary. 

The  Penitentiary  was  situated  on  ground  gently  rising  from  the 
left  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  north  of  the  city  of  Alton.  On  the 
western  side  rises  a  high,  steep  hill,  almost  from  the  base  of  the 
wall;  only  the  sentinel's  walk,  close  under  the  masonry,  being 
leveled.  In  the  southwestern  corner  of  the  prison-yard,  over 
looking  the  river,  is  a  two-story  building,  intended  to  serve  for 
the  offices  of  the  Penitentiary,  at  the  date  of  our  story  used  for 
the  headquarters  of  the  regiment  on  guard  duty  there.  Adjoin 
ing  this,  and  extending  along  the  western  wall  of  the  yard,  was 
the  higher  building  containing  the  cells;  in  this  the  ordinary 
prisoners  were  quartered  during  the  night,  their  beds  being  laid 
in  frame  bunks  opposite  the  entrances  to  the  cells,  along  the 
corridors  of  the  different  tiers.  These  two  buildings  may  be 
considered  as  forming  a  single  oblong,  with  a  partition  nearer 
the  southern  than  the  northern  end.  Extending  westward  from 
it  was  another  much  smaller,  two  stories  in  height,  which  the 
writer's  informant  believed  had  been  used  as  the  female  prison. 
This  joined  the  others,  but  extended  only  a  few  feet  south  of  the 
partition  wall ;  so  that  the  staircase,  leading  directly  south  from 
a  door  opening  from  the  second  story  of  this  smaller  building, 
ended  very  near  the  entrance  to  that  in  which  the  cells  were  lo 
cated. 

Col.  Magoffin  was  confined  in  the  second  story  of  this  smaller 
structure;  and,  as  before  stated,  there  was  a  perpetual  guard 
placed  at  the  only  entrance.  If,  as  some  of  his  friends  in  pris 
on  surmised,  he  had  feigned  a  greater  prostration  than  his  ill 
ness  had  actually  produced,  he  had  certainly  failed  to  gain  any 
advantage  thereby.  It  was  of  course  impossible  for  a  man  with 
out  tools  or  assistance,  and  closely  watched,  to  escape  from  one 
of  the  cells.  But  was  he  any  better  off  now?  As  month  after 
month  passed  on,  and  executive  clemency  failed  to  remand  him 
to  the  general  prison,  his  comrades  became  exceedingly  anx 
ious.  They  felt  that  some  plan  of  escape  must  be  devised;  but 
how  should  they  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  sentinel  especially 
posted  to  guard  him?  A  peculiarity  in  the  construction  of  the 
building,  however,  made  this  the  easier  part  of  their  task. 


Escaping  the  Death-Penalty.  191 

Two  sons  of  Colonel  Magoffin  had  been  captured  at  Black- 
water,  and  one  of  them  was  permitted  to  visit  him,  in  order  to 
attend  him  in  his  illness.  Being,  of  course,  allowed  all  the  priv 
ileges  which  the  other  prisoners  enjoyed,  and  free  to  go  back 
and  forth  from  his  father's  bedside  to  the  prison-yard,  subject 
only  to  the  surveillance  of  the  soldier  at  the  door,  he  was  a  most 
valuable  medium  of  communication  with  the  world  without  the 
condemned  man's  cell. 

It  was  after  one  of  these  visits  that  the  young  man  was  ob 
served  by  an  intimate  friend  intently  studying  that  part  of  the 
wall  which  formed  the  partition  between  the  cell-building  and 
the  old  female  prison. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Bee?"  inquired  this  friend,  using  the 
nickname  by  which  Mr.  Magoffin  was  familiarly  known. 

"  It's  the  strangest  thing  I  ever  saw,"  was  the  answer,  in  a  low 
tone,  as  the  speaker  glanced  cautiously  about  him,  to  make  sure 
that  his  words  were  heard  by  no  other  ear  than  that  for  which 
they  were  intended.  "I  never  saw  a  door  that  did  not  come 
through,  until  now." 

The  other  man,  who  was  engaged  upon  some  one  of  those  nu 
merous  pieces  of  carving  with  which  many  of  the  prisoners 
whiled  away  their  time,  looked  up  inquiringly. 

"  It's  a  fact,"  was  the  earnest  reply  to  the  look. 

"I  suppose  it  is,"  answered  the  carver,  dryly;  "doors  are 
generally  cut  clear  through  the  wall." 

"Don't  speak  so  loud,"  said  Magoffin,  coming  nearer  to  him; 
"  it  is  a  serious  matter,  for  it  may  be  a  chance  for  father." 

The  carver  dropped  his  work  in  his  surprise. 

"I  rolled  a  big  wardrobe  in  father's  room  out  this  morning, 
and  found  a  door  that  ought  to  come  through  just  about  here, 
but  there's  no  sign  of  it  on  this  side." 

"  Maybe  it  opens  into  the  officers'  quarters,"  suggested  his 
auditor. 

"  It  cannot,"  replied  young  Magoffin  decidedly  j  "  you  see,  I 
thought  of  that  myself  at  first;  but  I  have  just  been  making  as 
careful  measurements  as  I  dared,  and  I  find  it  ought  to  open  in 
to  a  passage-way  ending  just  about  here." 

"  Then  it  is  not  only  a  door,  but  a  whole  passage-way  that  has 
mysteriously  disappeared  ?" 

Magoffin  nodded,  and  strolled  slowly  away;  for  if  the  door 
was  to  be  found  and  opened,  not  a  guard  must  suspect  that  any 


192  Escaping  the  Death-Penalty. 

prisoner  knew  of  its  existence.  What  had  become  of  the  other 
end  of  that  suppositious  passage,  on  the  other  side  of  the  door 
so  long  concealed  from  view?  There  was  nothing  to  conceal 
any  opening  here — only  a  bare,  blank,  plastered  wall,  where 
there  was  no  trace  of  any  mode  of  access  to  another  part  of  the 
building. 

The  bit  of  soft,  fine-grained  gray  stone,  which  the  prisoner 
had  been  fashioning  into  a  pipe  (they  had  cut  many  such  pieces 
from  the  walls  of  McDowell's  College,  until  the  authorities 
feared  lest  they  might  destroy  the  building,  and  forbade  it)  lay 
untouched  by  his  side  as  he  sat  revolving  the  matter  in  his  mind. 

It  was  in  the  early  days  of  the  war,  before  the  ingenuity  of 
scores  of  men,  resolved  upon  freedom  at  the  cost  of  any  amount 
of  danger  or  labor,  had  taught  prison  guards  the  necessity  for 
constant  watchfulness,  by  day  as  well  as  by  night,  inside  the 
prison  walls  as  well  as  about  its  bounds.  It  is  only  by  remem 
bering  that  this  was  the  early  summer  of  1862,  that  we  can  un 
derstand  how  they  could  secure  the  necessary  freedom  from  ob 
servation. 

The  carver  seemed  deep  in  a  brown  study,  until  aroused  by 
the  sound  of  footsteps.  It  was  Magoffin  returning. 

"  Is  the  coast  clear  ?"  was  the  first  question. 

"  It  was  to  make  sure  of  that,  that  I  went  out,"  was  the  reply. 

His  companion  nodded  approval,  well  knowing  that  a  son  of 
the  condemned  man  would  be  more  liable  to  suspicion  than  any 
one  else,  not  only  from  his  greater  interest,  but  because  he  was 
the  only  one  of  the  prisoners  who  could  possibly  know  of  the 
existence  of  the  concealed  door. 

"  I  don't  believe  there  is  any  passage-way  at  all/7  announced 
the  confidante,  with  an  air  of  firm  conviction. 

"  Why  ?"  was  the  brief  query  in  reply. 

"It  isn't  reasonable  that  there  should  be.  Think  of  it  a  mo 
ment,  and  you  will  be  convinced.  There  would  be  no  reason 
whatever  for  cutting  a  door  from  the  second  story  of  that  build 
ing  into  one  of  these  corridors  ;  this  is  the  level  of  the  second 
range  of  cells;  and  the  floor  of  your  father's  room  is  just  about 
half-way  between  the  floor  of  this  and  that  of  the  range  above. 
Any  door  from  that  building  to  this  would  open  from  the  ground 
floor  of  this.  See?" 

"You  mean,  I  suppose,  that  there  is  a  staircase  leading  direct 
from  father's  room  to  this  cell-building?" 


Escaping  the  Death- Penalty.  193 

"Exactly;  and  now  let  us  go  down  stairs  and  see  if  there  is 
any  sign  of  a  door  in  that  wall." 

Down  stairs  they  accordingly  went,  although  both  had  seen 
the  wall  a  hundred  times,  and  knew  perfectly  well  that  there 
was  no  door  there. 

"  I  did  not  think  that  there  was,"  observed  Magoffin. 

For  answer,  the  carver  applied  his  pocket-knife,  which  he  still 
held  open  in  his  hand,  to  the  blank  wall.  In  a  moment  Magoffin 
came  to  his  assistance  with  a  similar  tool.  A  very  little  work 
served  to  penetrate  the  plastering,  and  they  saw  behind  a  small 
net-work  of  lath  and  studding  a  surface  of  painted  iron.  They 
had  found  one  of  the  doors  through  which  the  solitary  must  pass 
on  his  way  to  liberty,  if  at  all.  True,  even  if  this  door  were  open 
ed,  Col.  Magoffin  would  be  no  nearer  to  freedom  than  the  others 
were,  but  it  was  something  to  have  him  as  near. 

The  two  men  paused  from  their  labors  and  looked  at  each  other 
without  a  word  of  comment  on  their  success.  It  was  now  certain 
that  the  surmised  staircase  had  an  actual  existence,  and  that  this 
was  the  door  at  its  foot,  as  that  in  Col.  Magoffin's  room  was  at  its 
head.  To  penetrate  to  this  door,  to  unlock  this  and  the  other,  to 
find  a  means  of  exit  from  the  walled  and  guarded  enclosure  sur 
rounding  all  these  different  buildings,  all  without  attracting  the 
attention  of  the  Federals  on  guard — these  were  the  tasks  that 
still  lay  before  them. 

The  prisoners  were  allowed  considerable  liberty  inside  the 
buildings  and  in  the  prison-yard;  and  most  fortunately  they 
could  depend  upon  any  work  done  in  this  dark  corner  of  the  cell- 
building  being  wholly  safe  from  other  eyes  than  their  own  ;  for 
every  man  attended  to  his  own  bed,  and  the  buildings  were  not 
inspected  by  the  guards  ;  the  commander  of  the  regimentposted 
there  relying  upon  the  vigilance  of  the  sentinels. 

Of  course  it  would  be  necessary  to  tunnel  under  the  walls  ;  but 
here  another  difficulty  presented  itself:  the  town,  intensely  loyal, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  lay  to  the  east ;  on  the  northern  side  there 
were  many  dwellings;  to  the  south  was  the  river,  plainly  visible 
from  the  headquarters  of  the  guard,  its  gently  sloping  bank 
wholly  devoid  of  shelter.  What  remained  then  but  to  make  their 
exit  on  the  west  side?  But  west  of  the  yard  rose  the  hill, 
while  between  the  wall  and  the  hill  a  sentry  paced  his  watchful 
round. 

The  case  could  hardly  be  called  a  promising  one,  and  yet  they 


Escaping  the  Death-Penalty. 


•undertook  it  cheerfully.  "  Fortune  favors  the  brave,"  says  the 
proverb;  and  so  it  seemed  in  this  case;  unless,  indeed,  their 
ready  wit,  that  could  turn  every  circumstance  to  account,  and 

EAST. 


IM 

i/r 


WEST. 

Diagram,  of  Escape  of  Fifty  Confederate  Prisoners  from  Old  Alton 

Penitentiary. 

a.  Adjutant's  Office  and  Headquarter's  Prison  Guard,  b.  Cell-Building,  c.  Form 
er  Female  Prison,  in  which  Magoffin  was  Confined,  d.  Prisoner's  Dining-Room  and 
Kitchen,  e.  Old  Bake-Oven  Building,  used  as  a  "Wash-House,  f.  Excavation  for 
New  Building,  where  Prisoners  Dumped  Earth,  g.  Clothes  Racks,  h.  Gatekeeper's 
Office,  i.  Gate.  j.  Hidden  Door  and  Passagc-Way  Discovered.  Jc.  Tunnel  Under 
Wall.  l-l.  Sentry's  Beat.  m.  Opening  of  Tunnel  on  Side  of  Hill. 

their  willing  hands,  that  shrank  from  no  labor  as  too  great,  were 
not  the  chief  factors  in  what  the  careless  observer  would  call 
their  good  luck. 

Adjoining  the  cell-building  on  the  east  was  a  slight  frame 
structure,  used  as  a  wash-house.  That  it  had  not  been  intended 
for  this  purpose  was  shown  by  the  large  brick  oven  which  it 
contained.  But  since  the  Penitentiary  had  been  abandoned  by 
the  original  owner,  this  oven  was  no  longer  used;  so  long  had 


Escaping  the  Death-Penalty.  195 

it  been  neglected  that  it  had  fallen  into  disrepair,  and  become  a 
mere  harbor  for  rubbish  of  all  kinds.  A  tunnel  begun  in  this 
oven  would  be  as  well  concealed  from  the  guards  as  they  could 
hope  to  have  it;  and  it  had  the  additional  and  very  necessary 
advantage  of  being  near  to  the  northern  wall. 

The  next  question  that  arose  was  :  what  shall  be  done  with 
the  dirt?  But  to  this  query,  so  often  a  puzzling  one  in  similar 
cases,  an  answer  was  ready.  An  excavation  was  being  made  in 
one  corner  of  the  yard  preparatory  to  the  erection  of  another 
building;  and  this  was  a  receptacle  that  would  tell  no  tales, 
since  the  men  at  work  on  it  would  never  discover  how,  in  the  in 
tervals  of  their  labor,  a  portion  of  what  they  had  already  ac 
complished  was  undone. 

Clothes-lines  wei-e  of  course  a  forbidden  article  in  the  prison, 
as  any  rope  might  be  made  to  give  help  in  scaling  the  walls.  To 
supply  the  place  of  this  necessity  of  the  laundry,  the  prison  au 
thorities  had  caused  racks  to  be  erected  in  that  part  of  the  yard 
which  was  best  adapted  and  most  available.  It  was  no  fault  of  the 
colonel  or  any  of  his  subordinates  that  this  point  happened  to  be 
just  at  one  side  of  the  excavation  mentioned,  work  upon  which 
had  been  temporarily  abandoned  ;  for  the  racks  had  been  placed 
first,  and  long  before  Col.  Magoffin  entered  the  gates.  But  the 
men  engaged  in  tunneling  found  it  extremely  convenient;  a  clean 
white  sack,  carried  from  the  wash-house  to  the  drying-ground, 
could  excite  no  suspicion,  for  that  was  the  way  in  which  they 
had  always  carried  the  wet  clothes  to  the  racks;  and  a  judicious 
system  of  reliefs  prevented  any  remark  upon  the  quantity  of 
washing  that  was  being  done. 

Matters  progressed  favorably,  their  operations  being  man 
aged  with  such  care  that  the  guards  had  not  even  a  suspicion  of 
the  work  going  on  beneath  their  very  noses.  The  plaster  was 
stripped  from  the  door,  and  arrangements  made  to  cover  the  de 
faced  wall  so  as  to  conceal  their  work  in  case  of  a  cursory  exam 
ination  ;  though  anything  like  a  thorough  one  would  of  course 
have  put  a  most  effectual  damper  upon  all  hopes  of  the  con 
demned  man's  escape.  The  tunnel  was  almost  completed,  only 
a  thin  crust  being  left  over  the  end,  that  no  suspicions  might  be 
aroused  by  a  broken  sod.  The  locks  and  hinges  of  both  doors 
had  been  carefully  oiled,  that  no  grating  sound  might  fall  upon 
a  Federal's  ear;  and  keys  had  been,  with  no  small  labor,  filed  to 

fit  the  key  hoi  38. 
18 


196  Escaping  the  Death-Penalty.    ' 

Their  preparations  were  at  last  completed  ;  the  escape  must 
be  made  at  once,  for  every  moment  added  to  the  danger  of  de 
tection  ;  and  detection  meant,  for  them,  the  cells,  in  which  some 
of  them  had  already  been  confined  at  various  times  for  trifling 
offenses;  while  for  the  man  for  whose  sake  chiefly  the  work  was 
'  undertaken,  detection  meant  a  total  abandonment  of  hope. 

In  consequence  of  the  heat,  the  prisoners  were  allowed  a 
somewhat  unusual  privilege;  the  door  of  the  cell-building  was 
left  open,  and  they  had  the  freedom  of  the  jrard  during  the  early 
night  as  well  as  by  day.  A  prisoner  who  left  the  bunk  in  which 
he  was  quartered  and  went  out  for  a  breath  of  fresh  air,  then, 
was  violating  none  of  the  rules  in  force,  and,  consequently,  was 
unnoticed  by  the  guard. 

As  it  happened,  one  of  these  men  strolled  around  by  the  wash- 
house.  Nobody  was  looking,  and  he  entered  the  shed  known  by 
that  name;  he  had  not  been  noticed.  He  entered  the  old  oven  and 
crawled  down  into  the  tunnel ;  the  air  was  stifling,  but  he  no 
longer  felt  the  same  craving  for  fresh  air  that  he  had  indulged 
in  leaving  the  cell-building,  or  else  he  preferred  it  fresher  and 
freer  than  could  be  found  within  the  prison-yard.  At  last  he 
reached  the  point  where  he  felt  the  earth  above  him.  Breath 
lessly  he  listened  to  the  tread  of  the  sentry,  pacing  to  and  fro 
outside  the  wall,  waiting  until  he  had  passed  the  point  where  the 
tunnel  was  to  end;  then  he  broke  the  sod  which  was  the  one 
slight  barrier  between  him  and  liberty,  and  quickly  ascending 
into  the  open  air,  ran  up  the  side  of  the  hill  into  the  deep  shad 
ows  that  lay  upon  its  slope. 

At  the  other  end  of  the  tunnel  there  were  stationed  men  who 
anxiously  awaited  the  result.  "No  news  is  good  news,"  and 
so  it  was  esteemed  in  this  case;  for  when  a  sufficiently  long  in 
terval  had  passed,  another  made  the  underground  trip.  But  it 
was  not  until  the  entire  safety  of  the  effort  to  reach  the  outer 
air  was  well  assured  that  they  would  permit  the  chief  prisoner 
to  try  it.  By  some  means  friends  without  had  been  advised  that 
an  escape  was  contemplated,  and  Col.  Magoffin  found  a  skiff 
awaiting  him  at  the  river  bank,  where,  as  the  oarsman  informed 
him,  it  had  been  in  readiness  several  nights,  as  no  exact  time 
could  be  fixed  in  the  secret  communication. 

And  here  we  would  say  that  there  was  no  collusion  on  the 
part  of  any  Federal  soldier,  officer  or  private.  How  the  fact 
that  an  escape  was  being  planned  was  made  known  to  friends 


Escaping  the  Death- Penalty.  197 

outside,  is  something  which  the  writer  certainly  cannot  say. 
There  were  many  ingenious  devices  for  sending  forbidden  news 
in  letters  which  passed  under  the  eyes  of  Federal  officers;  for 
instance,  one  lady,  in  the  guise  of  an  innocent  bit  of  family  gos 
sip,  informed  her  husband  that  Gen.  Price  was  expected  to  in 
vade  Missouri  again,  and  it  may  have  been  in  some  such  way 
that  the  tidings  were  -conveyed. 

More  than  forty-five  had  passed  safely  through  the  tunnel,  and 

had  gained  the  sheltering  shadows  of  the  hill.  At  last  Dr.  F , 

a  large,  stout  man,  essayed  the  passage,  but  returned. 


^1  Southern  Underground  Route. 

"They've  found  it  out,  boys"  he  said,  in  a  whisper,  to  the 
little  group  of  men  waiting  anxiously  in  the  wash-house;  the 
Feds  have  found  it  out,  and  are  busy  stopping  up  the  tun 
nel." 

Nothing  could  be  done;  they  could  only  return  to  their  quar 
ters,  resolved  to  give  no  sign  of  anything  unusual  going  on.  Not 
only  were  their  own  hopes  of  escape  effectually  quenched,  but 
they  were  in  great  anxiety  as  to  the  fate  of  those  who  had  pass 
ed  through  the  tunnel ;  how  many  of  them  would  be  brought 
back?  And  if  any  were  captured,  would  Col.  Magoffin  be  among 
them? 

So  they  waited  for  morning  to  come ;  and  morning  showed 
them  that  the  alarm  had  been  a  false  one.  The  Federal  officials 


198  Escaping  the  Death- Penalty. 

had  no  suspicion  that  anything  was  wrong.  Only  one  guard  gave 
any  token  of  a  disturbed  state  of  mind — the  sergeant  stationed 
on  that  outside  staircase  which  we  have  described  as  the  only  ap 
parent  means  of  reaching  the  room  where  Col.  Magoffin  had  been 
confined. 

"  I  wonder  if  he  has  discovered  that  his  bird  has  flown  ?"  said 
one  prisoner  to  another,  noticing  the  sergeant's  uneasiness. 

"  Looks  mightily  like  it,  was  the  reply  ;  "  but  don't  let  him 
see  you  looking  at  him  ;  we  must  play  ignorance  if  we  don't  want 
to  be  questioned.  The  longer  they  are  asking  about  it,  the  bet 
ter  start  the  boys  will  have." 

Whether  or  not  the  sergeant  had  discovered  the  flight  of  his 
charge,  the  extent  of  the  escape  was  not  known  until  late  in  the 
forenoon. 

The  prisoners  had  been  divided  into  squads,  the  chief  of  each 
one  of  which  was  required  to  report  to  the  adjutant,  every  morn 
ing,  the  number  of  his  men  who  were  fit  for  duty,  the  number  sick 
in  quarters,  and  the  number  in  the  hospital.  Nine  o'clock  came, 
and  the  report  could  be  delayed  no  longer.  The  chiefs  (whatthere 
were  left  of  them)  presented  themselves,  in  somewhat  straggling 
order,  at  headquarters. 

With  much  surprise  the  blue-coated  adjutant  heard  the  reports. 
It  was  no  unusual  thing  for  a  man  to  be  reported  as  "  missing," 
when  the  chief  had  failed  to  find  him  before  making  up  his  re 
port;  and  in  such  cases  the  man  so  reported  was  immediately 
hunted  up  by  the  guards.  But  he  did  not  know  what  to  make  of 
the  reports  this  morning — three,  four,  or  even  more  men  missing 
from  a  single  squad,  and  some  of  the  chiefs  not  presenting  them 
selves  at  all — but  suddenly  the  truth  flashed  upon  him.  The  alarm 
was  at  once  given,  and  the  whole  regiment  turned  outto  hunt  up 
the  missing  men.  To  the  bewildered  Federals,  it  seemed  that  the 
Confederates  must  have  flown  over  the  wall,  so  well  had  the  start 
ing-point  for  the  tunnel  been  chosen,  and  so  carefully  had  all 
traces  ofwork  been  removed.  The  ground  outside  the  walls  was 
carefully  examined,  and  at  last  the  exit  of  the  tunnel  was  dis 
covered;  but  they  could  only  find  the  other  end  by  starting  a 
soldier  through  from  the  hillside,  and  looking  to  see  where  he 
came  out. 

Of  course  the  prisoners  were  overjoyed  at  this  perplexity  of 
the  Federals,  for  every  moment  which  the  prison  authorities  lost 
was  gained  to  those  who  had  escaped. 


Escaping  the  Death- Penalty.  199 

"  How  came  you  to  give  the  alarm  last  night,  when  the  Feds 
didn't  know  anything  about  it  until  this  morning,"  was  asked  of 
Dr.  F . 

"Well,  you  see,"  he  answered,  "some  of  the  boys  had  intended 
to  take  their  baggage  with  them,  but  found  the  tunnel  a  tighter 
fit  than  they  had  expected  it  would  be,  so  they  had  to  leave  their 
carpet  bags  behind  them;  these  things  blocked  the  way  so  that 
some  of  the  others  had  to  leave  their  boots  and  hatsbehindthem. 
When  I  got  there,  the  tunnel  was  pretty  full,  and  as  I  was  pull 
ing  myself  through,  I  just  thought  that  some  fellows  wouldn't 
have  any  more  sense  then  to  raise  a  row  if  they  happened  to  get 
stuck,  and  that  would  mean  a  recapture  of  Magoffin  ;  so  I  thought 
I'd  stand  Uncle  Sam's  boarding-house  a  little  while  longer.  But 
mind  you,  this  is  in  confidence  ;  it  might  make  some  of  the  boys 
mad." 

Some  few  of  the  prisoners  were  recaptured  ;  one  of  them  was 
found  in  a  blackberry  patch,  without  shoes  or  hat,  having  dis 
carded  those  useful  articles  in  his  eagerness  to  escape;  and,  being 
arrested  on  suspicion,  was  identified  at  the  prison. 

As  for  the  man  of  most  consequence,  the  prisoners  still  at  the 
Penitentiary  heard  of  him,  by  thegrape-vine  telegraph,  at  various 
points;  in  St.  Louis  County,  in  Southern  Missouri,  and  finally 
at  Little  Rock,  wrhere,  being  within  the  Confederate  lines,  they 
knew  he  was  safe  from  the  vengeance  of  Uncle  Sam. 

The  preparation  of  the  present  volume  has  involved  an  ex 
amination  of  all  books  and  articles  on  the  subject  to  be  found  in 
the  well-stocked  public  libraries  of  large  cities,  together  with 
many  newspapers  and  other  periodicals  not  to  be  found  in  such 
accumulations;  but  the  writer  is  not  aware  of  the  foregoing  story 
ever  having  been  in  print  before  the  present  time.  Thanks  for 
the  information  on  which  the  article  is  based  are  due  to  a  former 
citizen  of  Saline  Co.,  Mo.,  himself  one  of  the  Confederates  con 
fined  in  the  military  prison  at  Alton  at  the  time  of  the  escape. 
The  writer  believes  all  statements  of  fact  accurate  and  reliable, 
and  without  in  any  way  impugning  the  credibility  of  the  other 
stories,  would  present  this  as  substantially  the  narrative  of  an 
eye-witness. 

But  there  were  no  more  escapes  from  Alton.  It  had  cost  the 
guards  nearly  fifty  prisoners  to  learn  that  a  watch  over  the  out 
er  walls  was  not  sufficient;  but  they  had  learned  it.  At  the 
time  at  which  the  Magofiin  escape  was  planned,  the  fact  that  a 


200  Escaping  the  Death-Penalty. 

man  was  a  prisoner  showed  that  he  was  worthy  of  confidence; 
but  the  introduction  of  detectives  in  Confederate  uniform  effec 
tually  put  an  end  to  all  such  enterprises  that  were  to  benefit  more 
than  a  very  limited  number  of  individuals  who  were  able  to 
keep  their  own  secrets  even  from  their  friends. 


NOT  QUITE. 

Feaeral  Vengeance — The  Confederates  Take  a  Hand — Drawing  Lots  for  Life — A 
Little  More  Time— His  Turn  Comes— A  Flight  Through  the  Darkness— A 
Grisly  Hiding-Place — A  Friend  in  Need — A  Familiar  Voice — Ready  to  Sell 
His  Life  Dearly — Nobody  Wants  to  Buy — Not  Quite  a  Dead  Man. 

THE  life  of  a  partisan  is  one  of  double  danger;  not  only 
must  he  face  the  perils  which  encompass  the  soldier  of  the 
regular  army,  but  he  is  constantly  threatened  by  others  peculiar 
to  himself.  He  styles  himself  a  ranger  or  partisan,  and  his 
friends  claim  that  he  is  an  accredited  soldier  of  the  government 
which  is  benefited  by  his  services;  his  enemies  often  call  him  a 
bushwhacker,  and,  if  he  is  so  unfortunate  as  to  fall  into  their 
hands,  the  consequences,  although  entirely  satisfactory  to  the 
captors,  are  (to  put  it  mildly)  very  apt  to  be  exceedingly  unpleas 
ant  to  the  partisan. 

Such  a  term  as  bushwhacker  was  very  frequently  applied  to 
Mosby's  and  similar  commands  during  the  war ;  an  erroneous 
application,  of  course,  but  still  used  and  acted  upon  occasionally. 
Our  present  story  deals  with  such  an  instance,  and  the  conse 
quences. 

A  body  of  about  fifty  men  of  Mosby's  famous  command  had 
swooped  down  upon  a  Federal  train,  and  driven  it  off  toward 
their  own  camp.  A  superior  force  had  at  once  pursued  and  re 
captured  the  ambulances  and  wagons  ;  but  in  the  melee  in  which 
this  was  accomplished,  the  horse  of  a  wounded  Federal  officer  be 
came  unmanageable  ;  the  injured  man  was  carried  into  the  midst 
of  the  flying  Confederates,  and  while  there,  virtually  a  prisoner, 

was  mortally  wounded.     He  survived  long  enough  to  relate  the 

20) 


202  Not  Quite. 

circumstances  to  his  comrades,  who  speedily  came  to  the  spot 
where  ho  had  fallen.  Volunteers  were  at  once  called  for,  to  pursue 
the  scattered  squads  of  Confederates  to  their  posts  of  vantage 
among  the  hills,  and  avenge  on  them  the  death  of  Lieut.  McMaster. 
A  sufficient  numberwas  readily  obtained,  and  they  were  successfnl 
almost  immediately.  Six  men  were  taken  ;  three  of  these  were 
shot  on  the  highway,  one  within  the  borders  of  the  town  (Front 
Eoyal),  and  two  were  hanged.  Thus  was  the  young  cavalry  offi 
cer  avenged. 

This  was  done  by  authority  of  G-en.  Torbert,  and  no  effort  was 
made  to  shirk  responsibility.  The  two  men  were  hanged  near 
the  borders  of  the  town,  a  paper  being  fastened  to  the  tree,  bear 
ing  their  names  and  the  threatening  legend  :  "Such  is  the  fate  of 
Mosby's  men." 

As  may  easily  be  imagined,  this  action  of  the  Federal  general 
awakened  the  bitterest  resentment  in  the  breast  of  the  famous 
partisan  and  his  followers.  The  men  who  had  been  hanged  had 
threatened  their  self-appointed  executioners  with  retaliation  in 
kind;  and  they  were  not  mistaken  in  their  estimation  of  their 
leader.  Mosby  in  his  turn  swore  that  he  would  avenge  the  men 
whom  he  considered  murdered  in  cold  blood;  and  impatiently 
awaited  an  opportunity  to  execute  the  threat. 

It  was  not  many  days  before  the  chance  came.  Toward  the 
close  of  the  first  week  in  November  (Lieut.  McMaster  had  been 
killed  Oct.  15),  a  number  of  men  were  captured  by  a  portion  of 
Mosby's  command,  and,  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  or 
ganization,  taken  to  an  appointed  rendezvous,  that  the  colonel 
might  decide  upon  the  course  to  be  pursued  regarding  them. 
Twenty-seven  men  in  all  were  brought  before  the  partisan  chief, 
who  glowered  angrily  upon  them. 

"To'what  command  do  these  men  belong?"  he  demanded. 

"They  belong  to  various  regiments  of  G-en.  Ouster's  division," 
replied  his  adjutant. 

"It  was  Ouster's  command,  was  it  not,  that  murdered  those 
men  of  mine  at  Front  Royal  the  other  day?" 

The  adjutant  replied  in  due  form,  though  the  lowering  coun 
tenances  and  half-clenched  hands  of  the  men  around  him,  as  they 
thought  of  the  fate  of  their  comrades,  made  words  unnecessary. 

"Then  choose  six  of  them  by  lot;  of  these  six,  shoot  three  and 
hang  three." 

With  grim  satisfaction,  the  leader  and  his  men  watched  the 


204 


Not  Quite. 


Not  Quite.  205 

preparations  for  the  execution  of  this  sentence.  Twenty-seven 
slips  of  paper  were  ready,  all  as  nearly  alike  as  possible  ;  twen 
ty-one  of  these  were  blank ;  on  the  others  was  written  the  single 
word:  Death.  The  slips,  folded  so  that  no  one  could  possibly 
tell  which  were  blank,  and  which  bore  the  fatal  word,  were  drop 
ped  in  a  hat ;  the  prisoners  were  ranged  in  line,  and  the  adjutant 
slowly  offered  each  in  turn  his  choice  of  the  folded  papers.  Pride 
and  habit  alike  taught  them  to  stand  in  the  soldierly  style  of  utter 
indifference  to  the  outer  world  ;  their  eyes  were  fixed  on  vacan 
cy,  as  if  they  had  been  on  parade;  but  who  shall  say  what 
thoughts  stirred  in  their  breasts? 

Among  the  men  who  stood  there  was  a  young  man  named  Ross 
— or  so,  at  least,  he  may  here  be  called,  since  our  authority, 
speaking  with  assurance  as  to  every  other  point,  is  doubtful  as 
to  this.  He  stood  near  the  far  end  of  the  line,  watching  with 
anxious  eyes  the  faces  of  the  men  as  they  drew  the  fateful 
slips  from  the  hat.  He  had  seen  the  faces  of  five  darken  a  mo 
ment  with  the  shadow  of  their  cruel  fate,  and  then  resume  that 
studied  indifference.  At  last,  after  what  seemed  an  eternity  of 
anxiety,  the  hat  came  to  him.  There  were  but  three  slips  in  it, 
and  the  two  men  at  his  left,  who  had  not  yet  drawn,  waited  the 
result  breathlessly.  Looking  full  in  the  adjutant's  face,  he 
drew  forth  a  paper,  and  opened  it.  Glancing  down  at  it  with  as 
much  coolness  as  he  could  command,  he  saw  written  there  the 
little  word  that  meant  so  much. 

The  whole  matter  was  now  settled,  and  in  accordance  with 
the  decision  of  the  commander,  the  sentence  was  to  be  execu 
ted  immediately.  Yet  Mosby  would  not  allow  it  to  be  said  that 
he  had  retaliated  in  an  underhand  way.  Consequently  the  squad 
who  had  charge  of  the  condemned  men  were  instructed  to  con 
vey  them  along  the  valley  pike,  almost  to  Winchester,  and  there 
execute  his  vengeance  upon  members  of  the  offending  division. 

Ross  had  quite  made  up  his  mind  to  one  thing :  he  was  not  go 
ing  to  be  shot  or  hanged  that  day.  As  to  the  means  of  avoid 
ing  this  fate,  he  was  not  quite  so  sure.  If  he  could  do  no  more, 
he  could  break  away,  and  compel  them  to  kill  him  in  the  at 
tempt  to  recapture  him.  Perhaps  it  would  be  a  little  more  ex 
act  to  say  that  he  did  not  intend  to  stand  up  before  them  for  a 
target. 

As  they  reached  the  point  which  had  been  designated  by  Ou*. 
Mosby,  the  party  divided :  three  of  the  prisoners,  whom  a  set>- 


206  Not  Quite. 

ond  casting  of  two  lots  had  consigned  to  death  by  the  rope,  being 
taken  to  a  small  grove  in  the  vicinity  of  the  road,  while  the 
others  were  conducted  by  their  guards  to  an  open  field  or  pas 
ture.  Among  these  was  Ross,  and  it  was  decided  that  he  was 
to  be  the  first  to  be  shot. 

The  short  November  day  was  drawing  rapidly  to  a  close  ;  the 
Confederates  had  but  little  time  in  which  to  complete  their 
work  of  vengeance,  for  it  would  soon  be  too  dark  to  take  aim. 
The  firing  party  was  rapidly  told  off,  and  posted  at  one  end  of 
a  small  level  space,  at  the  other  end  of  which  the  doomed  men 
were  to  stand,  each  in  his  turn.  The  officer  in  charge  turned  to 
his  prisoners: 

"  I  can  give  you  but  five  minutes  more,"  he  said;  whatever 
preparations  you  have  to  make  must  be  completed  within  that 
time." 

The  lights  of  Winchester  twinkled  faintly  red  through  the 
gathering  dusk;  dark  and  gloomy  against  the  gray  sky  rose  the 
trees  of  the  grove  where  the  other  scene  of  the  tragedy  was  be 
ing  enacted;  not  a  sound  broke  the  stillness  of  the  air,  though 
it  seemed  to  each  man  there  that  the  beating  of  his  own  heart 
must  be  plainly  audible  to  those  around  him.  The  voice  of  the 
officer  broke  the  silence  : 

"Time's  up." 

Though  really  spoken  in  a  low  tone  (for  the  speaker  was  not 
insensible  to  the  spirit  of  the  occasion;  he  was  but  fulfilling 
his  duties  as  a  soldier),  the  words  seemed  to  ring  out  like  the 
blast  of  a  trumpet.  Obedient  to  his  silent  command,  the  firing 
party  looked  once  more  to  their  arms.  A  guard  motioned  to 
Ross. 

"  Can't  you  give  us  a  little  more  time  ?  Only  a  moment  more  ?" 
plead  the  Federal. 

The  guard  looked  inquiringly  at  his  superior.  The  officer 
nodded. 

"Put  him  last,  instead  of  first,"  he  curtly  commanded,  and  ad 
ded,  half  by  way  of  apology  to  himself;  "  time  presses — that  is 
the  best  that  I  can  do." 

"Sir,"  began  the  second  of  the  doomed  men,  addressing  the 
officer,  "I  believe  you  are  in  your  heart  reluctant  to  execute 
the  sentence  imposed  on  us  by  your  ruffian  commander.  To  you, 
then,  I  address  myself  freely.  This  act  of  his  will  be  punished 
severely  by  the  Federal  authorities.  Every  man  of  Mosby's 


Not  Quite.  207 

svho  falls  into  the  hands  of  our  boys  will   bo  made  to  bear  the 
penalt}"." 

"You  gain  no  favor  in  our  eyes  by  insulting  our  colonel,  sir," 
returned  the  Confederate  with  more  dignity  than  the  blue-coat 
had  given  him  credit  for  ;  "  it  is  certainly  with  regret  that  any 
soldier  acts  on  occasions  like  the  present,  knowing  that  compar 
atively  innocent  men  are  made  scape-goats  for  the  offense  of 
many;  but  so  far  as  doing  our  duty  is  concerned,  Col.  Mosby's 
men  have  never  yet  failed  him  ;  and  his  resentment  of  the  mur 
der  of  our  comrades  is  no  greater  than  ours.  We  are  the  instru 
ments  of  vengeance,  and  not  unwilling  ones.  As  for  the  retal 
iation  that  you  threaten,  we  are  of  course  in  constant  danger  of 
being  captured — the  partisan's  life  is  not  a  safe  one — but  we 
will  not  leave  all  the  retaliation  to  be  done  by  your  friends." 

What  the  Federal  hoped  to  gain  by  his  appeal  to  his  guard  is 
forever  a  mystery;  but  as  the  sequel  will  show,  it  was  not  with 
out  its  effect  upon  the  fortunes  of  one  of  his  comrades. 

But  as  far  as  the  Confederates  were  concerned,  the  remon 
strance  of  the  Federal,  or  at  least  his  stigmatization  of  their 
commander,  only  aroused  their  indignation  ;  for  Mosby  was  the 
darling  of  his  men.  The  execution  was  delayed  not  a  moment 
longer.  The  crack  of  the  rifles  rang  out  sharp  and  clear,  and 
the  presumptuous  Yankee  fell  forward,  pierced  by  a  half-dozen 
bullets.  Hastily  removing  his  body,  the  Southerners  made  ready 
for  the  second  victim  of  this  retaliatory  warfare. 

What  had  Ross  gained  by  the  delay  requested  and  granted? 
Apparently  only  a  few  minutes  in  which  to  anticipate  death,  so 
swiftly  and  surely  approaching.  Such  a  gain  would  be  one  only 
to  the  coward,  who  would  fain  postpone  the  inevitable,  merely 
from  the  dread  of  dissolution.  But  Ross  feared  neither  the  su 
preme  moment  of  existence  nor  the  ''something  after  death" 
before  which  so  many  tremble.  The  brief  space  of  time  was 
nothing  to  him  ;  he  was  resolved  to  prolong  it  indefinitely. 

A  man  under  sentence  of  death  fears  nothing;  for  the  worst 
that  his  fellow-mortals  can  inflict  upon  him  is  only  that  which 
already  hangs  over  him.  Mosby  understood  this;  and,  deter 
mined  that  the  ends  of  justice  (as  he  saw  them)  should  not  be  de 
feated,  had  sent  upon  this  duty  a  force  amply  sufficient  to  per 
form  it.  With  a  sinking  heart  Ross  saw  how  closely  they  were 
watched ;  would  he  be  able  to  elude  their  vigilance  ? 

A  second  time  the  flash  from  their  guns  brightened  for  a  mo- 


208 


Not  Quite. 


raent  the  fast  deepening  twilight;  and  the  second  man  had  fall 
en.  A  moment  more,  and,  their  duty  performed,  this  squad  would 
join  the  other,  and  the  united  force  would  report  to  the  partisan 
chief  that  their  comrades  had  been  avenged. 

"Your  turn  now,"  said  a  Confederate  to  Boss,  and  would  have 
led  him  to  the  place  of  execution. 

The  rangers  had  heard  with  pity  allied  to  contempt  his  appeal 
for  a  little  more  time.  To  their  stern,  rough  natures,  it  seemed 
the  expression  of  a  weakness  that  looked  very  much  like  cow 
ardice*  But  then,  he  was  little  more  than  a  boy,  they  told  them 
selves,  with  a  glance  at  his  youthful  form.  However,  ho  must 
die  now  ;  his  time  had  come  ;  and  he,  weakling  as  he  was,  could 
not  prolong  his  life  one  instant. 


A  Mean  Yankee  Trick. 

So  thought  the  gray -jackets;  the  blue-coat  thought  differently. 
Obediently  allowing  himself  to  be  led  toward  the  spot  where  his 
comrades  had  fallen,  he  saw  at  a  glance  that  the  firing  party 
were  busy  reloading.  With  the  quickness  of  thought  he  turned 
toward  the  man  beside  him  ;  a  single  well-aimed  blow  laid  the 
Confederate  sprawling  on  the  ground  ;  and  almost  before  he  had 
touched  the  earth,  the  nimble  Federal  had  reached  the  limits  of 
the  field  which  had  been  the  scene  of  the  tragedy  so  unexpected 
ly  interrupted. 


Not  Quite.  209 

The  rangers  sprang  to  their  horses  and  dashed  after  the  fugit 
ive.  G-rim  and  ghastly  upon  the  half-frozen  ground  lay  the 
corpses  of  the  two  men  who  had  fallen  ;  and  a  vision  of  a  third 
form  beside  them  still  haunted  the  bloodshot  eyes  of  the  flying 
Federal.  The  clatter  of  hoofs  approached  nearer  and  nearer  ev 
ery  moment ;  it  was  man  against  horse,  and  the  result  seemed, 
to  the  riders,  certain. 

Not  so  to  the  pursued  man,  however;  for  he  had  no  intention 
of  making  it  a  mere  question  of  speed  •  he  had  served  them  one 
Yankee  trick,  and  he  felt  sure  that  the  necessity  of  the  occasion 
would  inspire  him  as  often  as  it  should  be  the  condition  of  escape. 

Most  fortunately  for  him,  night  was  drawing  on  so  rapidly 
that  his  pursuers  had  not  the  sense  of  sight  to  depend  upon  ;  and 
Ross  thought  gratefully  of  tlfe  delay  which  his  disputative  com 
rade  had  caused.  But  for  that  he  must  have  fallen  an  easy  prey 
to  the  enemy. 

On  they  came,  hallooing  wildly  in  the  excitement  of  the  cha&e, 
and  firing  at  every  well-defined  shadow  which  fell  athwart  their 
path.  To  run  at  his  utmost  speed  would  be  to  fall  into  their 
hands  almost  at  once;  he  must  contrive  to  double  upon  them. 

The  Federal  encampment  lay  to  the  northeast,  and  to  that 
point  of  the  compass  he  had  naturally  turned  his  face.  Having 
imbued  the  pursuing  Confederates  with  the  idea  that  he  was 
seeking  to  distance  their  horses  in  a  race  to  this  haven  of  safety, 
he  quietly  altered  his  course  as  soon  as  it  was  dark  enough  to  en- 
ble  him  to  do  so  without  being  detected,  and  slipped  back,  almost 
under  their  horses'  noses,  to  that  same  grove  where  his  three 
comrades  had  so  bravely  met  the  death  which  the  law  decrees 
to  the  most  criminal  of  men. 

If  anything  had  been  needed  to  sustain  him  in  his  resolution, 
the  ghastly  sight  now  before  him  would  have  been  sufficient.  Ev 
en  through  the  darkness  he  could  discern  the  forms  of  the  three 
Federals  hanging  from  the  limbs  of  one  tree;  and  with  a  shud 
der  of  natural  horror  at  the  dreadful  circumstances  to  which  he 
must  be  callous,  he  scrambled  up  that  very  tree. 

Though  the  autumn  was  far  advanced,  and  the  leaves  of  this 
tree  were  withered,  but  few  of  them  had  fallen.  During  the  dark 
ness,  then,  the  foliage  would  be  sufficient  to  hide  him,  especially 
as  they  would  not  be  likely  to  suspect  his  presence  in  this  tree, 
of  all  others,  even  if  they  became  aware  of  his  change  of  direc 
tion  soon  enough  to  follow  his  footsteps  hither. 


210 


Not  Quite. 


The  time  passed  slowly  to  the  man  perched  in  this  grisly  hid 
ing  place.  At  last,  after  what  seemed  hours,  or  rather  ages  of 
waiting,  he  heard  the  sound  of  a  body  of  horsemen  coming  along 
the  pike.  Peering  cautiously  from  his  leafy  shelter,  he  saw  by 
the  light  of  the  slender  crescent  moon,  that  they  were  his  pur 
suers.  From  his  covert  he  could  distinguish  their  words. 

"Well,  there  are  five 
safe,  anyhow,"  remark 
ed  one,  as  he  glanced 
at  the  oak  which  bore 
the  human  acorns  in 
which  the  cruel  old 
French  king  so  delight 
ed. 

"  For  my  part/'  re 
turned  a  second,  "I  hope 
Ouster,  Sheridan  &  Co. 
will  soon  come  to  terms, 
for  such  work  is  not  ex 
actly  to  my  liking.  Of 
course,  we  must  keep  it 
up  as  long  as  they  do — " 
The  remainder  was 
lost  as  they  turned  into 
the  field  where  the  other 
executions  had  taken 
place,  their  object  being 
so  to  dispose  the  bodies 
that  no  doubt  might  be 

left,  in  the  minds  of  those 
A  Grisly  Hiding-Place.  who  chanced  to  pass  that 

way,  of  the  manner  and  cause  of  these  men's  death. 

Eoss  remarked  that  they  appeared  to  have  given  up  the  chase, 
and  was  not  a  little  relieved  to  find  that  it  was  so.  But,  as  he 
was  only  too  well  aware,  many  dangers  still  lay  between  him 
and  the  tents  of  his  regiment. 

The  work  of  the  Confederates  was  completed  at  last,  and  they 
lu*d  turned  their  horses'  heads  toward  their  own  camp.  As  soon 
as  they  were  at  a  safe  distance,  Ross  left  the  shelter  of  the  tree, 
and  once  more  bent  his  steps  to  the  northeast.  It  was  his  aim  to 
gain  before  morning  some  place  of  safety  in  which  to  rest  during 


Nat  Quite.  211 

the  day,  and  then  continue  his  journey  during  the  night.  The 
succeeding  dawn,  he  trusted,  would  see  him  safe  within  the  Fed 
eral  lines. 

Crossing  once  more  the  field  which  was  to  have  been  the  scene 
of  his  own  death,  he  struck  into  a  by-path  which  was  heavily 
shaded  by  large  forest  trees.  Every  sound  seemed  full  of  om 
inous  meaning  to  the  man  who  had  so  narrowly  escaped  the  Reb 
el  bullets  ;  the  rustling  of  the  withered  leaves  in  the  wind  more 
than  once  alarmed  him  with  the  idea  that  a  number  of  horsemen 
were  riding  beneath  the  overhanging  branches;  the  moaning  of 
the  wind  itself  often  seemed  like  the  sound  of  voices  in  the  dis 
tance  ;  while  the  fall  of  an  occasional  nut  made  him  listen  with 
anxious  ears  for  the  succeeding  footsteps  of  the  stealthily  ap 
proaching  foe. 

So  he  journeyed  onward  through  the  night,  eluding  the  Con 
federate  pickets  without  difficulty.  But  although  on  nominally 
neutral  ground,  he  was  by  no  means  safe;  indeed,  this  very  de 
batable  land  was  a  favorite  haunt  of  the  daring  partisan,  and 
was,  for  that  reason,  more  dangerous  to  him  than  the  territory 
within  the  lines  of  the  Southern  army  itself.  But  the  Federal, 
escaping  from  his  captor,  had  one  advantage  over  a  soldier  of 
the  Confederacy  in  similar  circumstances;  the  supporter  of  the 
Union  could  always  rely  upon  finding  one  class  of  the  commun 
ity  favorable  to  him — the  negroes. 

Only  partially  acquainted  with  the  surrounding  country,  Ross 
could  scarcely  hope  to  find  an  entirely  secure  hiding-place  with 
out  some  assistance  ;  and  assistance  could  most  certainly  be  ob 
tained,  with  the  least  possible  risk  to  himself  in  asking  it,  from 
an  "  intelligent  contraband." 

He  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  a  cabin  without  much  difficul 
ty.  A  cautious  knock  brought  a  venerable  looking  old  "uncle" 
to  the  door. 

"Who  is  yo'?"  inquired  the  old  man,  peering  out  into  the  dark 
ness;  for  the  Federal  had  stepped  back  from  the  little  circle  of 
light  made  by  the  candle  which  was  held  high  above  the  white 
head. 

"  A  man  in  great  need  of  help,"  he  responded,  not  without 
some  anxiety  lest  it  be  refused. 

"  Good  Lawd,  mns'r,  but  wc's  drefful  po'  folks  heah  ;  'taint 
much  as  two  old  darkeys  kin  help  white  folks." 

"  If  a  soldier  was  to  come  to  you,  asking  for  shelter  during  the 
14 


212  Mot  Quite. 

day  from  his  enemies,  who  were  trying  to  catch  him  to  shoot 
him,"  ventured  Ross,  "  could  you  not  hide  him  ?" 

"I  dunno,  sah  ;  we  kin  try,  ef  hit's  you:  but  dey's  a  powerful 
lot  o'  sogers  around  heah." 

"  Which  kind?"  demanded  the  Federal,  eagerly.  Perhaps  the 
danger  was  already  past,  and  he  was  within  the  Union  lines,  or 
nearer  to  them  than  Mosby  dare  approach. 

"Mostly  bofe  kin's,  sah,"  replied  the  negro,  with  due  caution  ; 
"  what  kin'  is  yo',  sah?" 

He  had  gone  too  far  to  retreat,  now;  it  was  possible  that  this 
might  be  one  of  those  Africans  who  had  clung  to  their  masters, 
but  it  was  not  probable;  so,  trusting  to  the  good  fortune  which 
had  so  far  attended  him,  Ross,  without  uttering  a  word,  stepped 
forward  into  the  little  circle  of  dim  light.  The  questioner  start 
ed  back  at  the  sight  of  his  uniform,  and  almost  dropped  the 
candle. 

"Praise  de  Lawd  !"  he  exclaimed;  "hit's  a  Fed'ral  soger. 
Come  in,  mas'r,  come  in.  De  old  woman  '11  be  powerful  glad 
to  have  yo'.  " 

Thus  welcomed,  Ross  lost  no  time  in  accepting  the  old  man's 
invitation;  and  early  as  it  was,  the  "  ole  woman"  soon  had  a 
smoking  repast  spread  before  the  hungry  fugitive.  The  inner 
man  refreshed,  he  was  invited  to  the  loft,  where  a  bed  was  has- 
tily  prepared,  his  entertainers  explaining  very  elaborately  that 
only  consideration  for  his  own  safety  kept  them  from  assigning 
him  to  a  resting-place  in  their  principal  room. 

"  De  Secesh  is  powerful  bad  around  heah,  sah,"  said  the  old 
man,  with  a  shake  of  his  hoary  head  ;  "  an'  dere's  no  tellin' 
when  dey  mout  come  right  in  and  find  yo',  ef  yo'  was  down 
stairs." 

Ross  was  only  too  glad  to  get  a  comfortable  resting-place,  af 
ter  his  long  tramp  over  fields  and  through  woods;  and  he  did 
not  object  to  having  his  safety  thus  considered.  Hardly  had 
his  head  touched  the  pillow  before  he  was  sound  asleep,  to  wak 
en  no  more  until  late  in  the  afternoon.  Then  the  sound  of  voi 
ces  outside  the  door  of  the  cabin  aroused  him.  They  sounded 
strangely  familiar. 

"Are  you  sure?"  demanded  one. 

"  'Fo'  de  Lawd,  mas'r,  I's  been  up  eber  sence  daylight,  and  I 
hain't  seen  no  sogers,  'ceptin'  you." 

Ross  peeped  from  the  window  of  the  loft,  a  rude  opening  with- 


Not  Quite.  213 

out  a  sash  ;  and  understood  why  he  had  seemed  to  recognize  the 
voice  of  the  questioner;  it  was  the  officer  who  had  been  sent 
by  Mosby  to  see  that  the  six  Federals  were  duly  executed.  That 
the  present  party  was  in  quest  of  him,  his  fears  left  him  no  room 
to  doubt;  and  he  hastily  put  on  his  clothes  and  prepared  for 
flight.  What  would  be  the  outcome,  he  could  not  foresee ;  but 
he  resolved  not  to  be  taken  alive. 

What  was  his  surprise  to  hear  the  sound  of  their  horses'  hoofs 
as  they  turned  from  the  cabin  door,  evidently  trusting  implicitly 
the  assertion  of  the  old  negro.  When  they  were  safely  away 
from  the  cabin,  the  old  man  climbed  to  the  loft,  to  see  if  his 
guest  had  heard  the  arrival  of  the  party. 

"What  did  they  want  ?"  he  asked  eagerly. 

"Dey'd  lost  some  of  deir  own  men,  and  wanted  to  know  ef 
I'd  seen  'em.  Lawdy,  mas'r,  but  I  was  skeered  fo'  yo'  when  dey 
rode  up." 

"So  was  I,"  said  the  soldier,  frankly;  "though  I  couldn't 
understand  why,  if  they  were  after  me,  and  suspected  I  was  here, 
they  should  give  it  up  so  easily." 

"Dey  was  some  of  Mosby's  men,"  replied  the  negro,  looking 
around  fearfully,  as  if  the  very  mention  of  his  name  might  invite 
danger;  "and  ef  dey'd  a  knowed  dat  dere  was  a  Union  soger 
heah,  dey'd  a  bu'nt  de  house  down  but  w'ut  dey'd  a  had  yo'.  " 

This  was  practically  the  end  of  Boss'  adventure  ;  for,  piloted 
by  his  faithful  old  host,  he  reached  the  Federal  lines  in  safety 
that  night.  It  may  be  believed  that  he  related  the  tall  around 
the  camp-fire. 

"Well,  you  came  pretty  near  being  a  dead  man,"  observed  a 
comrade,  when  the  story  was  finished. 

"Very  near  a  corpse,"  returned  Eoss;  "but  not  quite." 

The  retaliatory  measures  which  had  so  nearly  cost  our  hero 
his  life,  were  continued  for  some  time  ;  another  escape  of  a  man, 
captured  by  the  same  command  about  this  time,  will  be  found  in 
another  chapter. 


A  DARING  CAPTURE. 

The  Prince  George  Cavalry — An  Enterprise  of  Privates — Betrayed  by  a  Dog — 
The  Arrest — To  McClellan's  or  Lee's  Headquarters? — The  Captors  Prefer  to 
Go  to  Lee's — Effect  on  the  Crew. 

IT  was  Friday,  July  25th,  1862.  The  James  Eiver  was,  for  a 
long  distance,  thronged  with  the  vessels  belonging  to  the 
United  States  Government.  On  the  northern  shore  was  Gen. 
McClellan's  camp ;  south  of  the  river  were  the  Confederate  forces. 
It  was  a  tempting  sight,  that  array  o£  vessels,  to  certain  adven 
turous  cavalrymen  of  the  latter  army,  who  had  been  for  some 
days  wishing  for  something  more  exciting  than  lounging  about 
camp  or  going  out  on  picket  duty.  Before  long  a  fertile  brain 
had  conceived  a  plan  which  was  soon  arranged,  and  about  one 
o'clock  that  night  five  troopers  of  the  Prince  George  Cavalry 
entered  a  boat  and  pulled  off  from  Coggins'  Point. 

There  were  no  military  sounding  titles  or  glittering  epaulets 
to  distinguish  these  men  ;  so  far  from  wearing  the  velvet  collar 
and  brass  stars  of  a  colonel,  there  was  not  a  shoulder-strap 
among  them  ;  the  one  officer  wore  simply  a  corporal's  chevron 
on  his  sleeve  ;  the  others  were  distinguished  by  the  honorable 
initials,  "H.  P." — High  Private.  Nor  was  their  vessel  ft  large 
one;  neither  steam  launch  nor  more  pretentious  vessel,  it  was 
by  rowing  that  it  must  be  propelled  to  the  objective  point. 

This  was  a  schooner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-three  tons,  load 
ed  with  corn  and  provisions,  and  valuv  d  at  eight  thousand  dollars, 
exclusive  of  her  cargo.  She  was  called  the  Louisa  Rives,  was 
owned  in  New  York,  and  commanded  by  Capt.  John  A.  Jones. 
Of  course  our  five  troopers  were  not  thus  minutely  informed 
regarding  the  vessel  ;  they  only  knew  that  she  was  nearly  new, 

214 


A  Daring  Capture.  215 

and  that  her  cargo  was  valuable  to  the  enemy.  Just  why  this 
particular  schooner  should  have  been  selected  for  their  attempt, 
when  two  hundred  other  steam  and  sailing  vessels  of  various 
kinds  lay  at  anchor  around  her,  is  not  easily  determined.  The 
fact  remains,  the  reason  is  forgotten. 

In  accordance  with  the  plans  laid  before  setting  out,  one  of  the 
privates,  Thomas  Martin,  was  to  act  as  leader,  Corporal  Cocke 
remaining  in  the  background  with  the  others,  Daniel,  Dimitry 
and  Williams.  Pulling  off  from  the  shore,  they  reached  the  Eives 
and  were  about  to  board  her  with  the  same  quietness,  when  the 
alarm  was  given  by  means  of  a  little  dog.  No  watch  of  any 
account  was  kept,  being  thought  unnecessary,  since  there  were 
two  gunboats  not  more  than  a  hundred  yards  away.  The 
dog  barked  furiously,  however;  and  although  the  Confederates 
endeavored  to  silence  him  in  the  river,  he  danced  around  at  a 
safe  distance,  snarling  and  snapping  and  barking  as  only  an 
abominable  little  black-and-tan  can  do  ;  keeping  out  of  reach  of 
the  strangers. 

His  noise  did  all  that  he  hoped  and  the  Confederates  feared  ; 
for  the  captain  came  on  deck  in  a  few  moments,  and  in  surly 
tones  demanded  ofthem  : 

"  What  in  the  devil  do  you  want  here  at  this  time  of  night?" 

"  This  is  Captain  Jones  ?"  inquired  Martin,  saluting. 

"It  is,"  replied  the  officer. 

"  At  Gen.  McClellan's  order,  sir,  I  have  come  to  effect  your 
arrest,"  rejoined  the  Confederate,  in  a  tone  which  blended  re 
gret  with  dignity  and  firmness. 

"You  must  be  mistaken,  sir,"  returned  the  surprised  sailor. 

"You  are  Captain  Jones,  of  the  Louisa  Rives,  I  believe." 

"I  am,  but  I  have  done  nothing  to  merit  arrest.  What  are  the 
charges  against  me?" 

"  I  am  not  here  to  decide  upon  the  question  of  your  guilt  or  in 
nocence,  or  to  prefer  charges.  I  am  sent  simply  to  arrest  you. 
I  am  ordered  to  do  so  by  Gen.  McClellan  ;  and  if  you  are  really 
innocent  of  whatever  charges  may  have  been  brought  against 
you,  you  will  be  glad  to  have  an  opportunity  of  clearing  your 
self,"  rejoined  the  supposed  emissary  of  the  Federal  command- 
er-in-chief,  in  a  grave  but  friendly  tone.  The  argument  seemed 
to  impress  the  sailor,  who  signified  his  readiness  to  go  with 
them;  and  as  he  seemed  to  have  no  idea  of  resisting  or  attempt 
ing  to  escape,  they  did  not  secure  him  in  any  way;  but  allowed 


216 


A  Daring  Capture. 


him  to  descend,  untied,  into  the  boat,  where  he  seated  himself. 

While  this  conversation  was  being  carried  on  between  Martin 
and  the  Captain,  the  other  four  Confederates  had  reached  the 
cabin  of  the  vessel.  There  was  no  one  there,  the  officers,  except 
the  captain,  and  the  most  of  the  crew  having  gone  on  shore.  A 
straw  bed,  found  in  one  of  the  state  rooms,  was  ripped  open,  a 
match  set  to  its  contents,  and  the  cabin  door  closed  and  fastened, 
so  that  the  flames  must  spread  without  chance  of  interference 
from  without.  This  duty  performed,  they  were  ready  to  leave 


Hoarding  the  Vessel 

the  vessel  as  soon  as  Martin  and  the  prisoner  j  and  entered  the 
boat  along  with  them.  There  was  no  effort  made  to  secure  the 
crew,  for  their  boat  was  so  small  that  the  six  men  already  in  it 
made  an  ample  load.  Even  the  weight  of  these  few  sunk  her  dan 
gerously  near  to  a  hole  near  the  top  of  one  side. 

Having  accomplished  their  object,  and  knowing  that  much 
now  depended  on  speed,  they  pulled  off  in  all  haste  from  beside 
the  Rives;  but  it  was,  of  course,  towards  the  southern  and  not 
the  northern  shore  of  the  stream  that  they  directed  their  course. 
The  captain  noticed  this,  and  his  suspicions  were  aroused. 

"Gen.  M^Clellan's  headquarters  are  not  that  side  of  the 
river,"  he  remarked  to  Martin,  whom  he  supposed  to  be  the 


A  Daring  Capture.  217 

officer  in  command,   from  the   leading  part   he   had   taken. 

"No,"  replied  that  individual,  carelessly,  "but  you  needn't 
worry;  we  know  what  we're  about;  only  we've  changed  our 
minds,  you  see,  and  concluded  to  take  you  to  a  Confederate 
general's  headquarters,  instead  of  a  Federal." 

"My  God!"  exclaimed  the  prisoner,  as  he  heard  his  worst 
fears  confirmed;  "  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  me,  anyhow  ?" 

"Don't  be  worried,  sir;  you'll  not  be  hurt;  but  as  you  are 
engaged  in  the  service  of  the  Lincoln  Government,  you  see, 
your  capture  is  strictly  legitimate,  and  you  are  a  prisoner  of  war. 
Of  course,  you  will  be  treated  as  such." 

"If  I'd  seen  you  come  from  the  southern  shore  I'd  have  seen 

you  d d  before  I'd  have  surrendered,"  rejoined  he,  greatly 

chagrined.  "I  had  a  watch  stationed  on  that  side,  but  didn't 
suppose  it  would  be  necessary  right  opposite  the  gunboats.  I 
had  plenty  of  arms  on  board." 

"  Well,"  answered  Martin,  with  secret  satisfaction,  "we  made 
allowance  for  all  that,  Captain  ;  we  thought  you  wouldn't  expect 
danger  from  that  quarter,  or  we  would  not  have  taken  the  trouble 
to  row  to  the  other  side  of  your  vessel." 

"  Hang  it,"  growled  one  of  the  Confederates  to  his  neighbors, 
"I  don't  believe  she  is  going  to  burn  at  all.  Look  at  her,  will 
you?  There  isn't  a  light  anywhere  about  her  but  the  lamp  in 
the  rigging." 

"It  does  look  like  it,"  returned  the  man  addressed; "but  it 
seems  hardly  possible  that  the  straw  shouldn't  have  kindled  the 
flame." 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  shore;  and  landing, ascend 
ed  the  bank.  As  they  turned  to  look  behind  them  upon  the 
dangers  they  had  dared  for  such  a  trifling  result  as  the  capture 
of  a  single  prisoner,  they  saw  that  this  was  not  all;  the  flames, 
smothered  in  the  cabin  while  they  were  crossing  the  river,  had 
suddenly  burst  forth  in  all  their  fury;  the  more  ungovernable 
because,  so  long  confined,  every  timber  of  the  vessel  had  been 
thoroughly  heated.  From  bow  to  stern  surged  the  fiery  waves, 
while  here  and  there  the  spray  dashed  up  into  the  rigging.  A 
ship  of  flame,  she  stood  out  against  the  dark  blue  sky  of  the 
summer  night,  casting  a  weird,  unearthly  radiance  upon  the  dark 
waters  around  her,  upon  the  white  tents  on  the  shore,  and  even 
upon  the  sombre  trees  beyond.  The  gunboats  and  transports, 
meantime,  crowded  on  steam,  in  the  effort  to  get  to  a  safe  dis- 


218  A  Daring  Capture. 

tance  from  the  burning  schooner ;  and  hither  and  thither,  on  the 
decks  of  the  sailing  vessels,  ran  the  sailors  making  every  effort 
to  escape  sharing  in  her  fate. 

Lamenting  that  their  force  was  too  small  for  them  to  have 
done  any  more,  since  the  other  vessels  were  too  dangerously 
near  gunboats,  the  Confederates  pushed  onward  to  camp,  their 
prisoner  being  conveyed  the  next  day  to  Petersburg,  where  he 
was  confined  until  removed  to  Richmond.  So  ended  a  most  dar 
ing  attempt,  in  which  five  men  penetrated  into  the  very  midst 
of  the  enemy's  fleet,  carried  off  the  commanding  officer  and 
burned  one  of  the  vessels,  escaping  not  only  unscathed,  but  not 
even  fired  upon  by  one  of  the  many  armed  vessels  lying  within 
a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  fated  schooner. 


CHAPTER 


CAPTAIN  LIGHTKENG'S  TRICKS, 

Morgan's  Kentucky  Kaid  —  One  of  his  Assistants  —  Eeason  for  the  Nickname  —  A 
Good  Beginning  —  A  Strange  Coincidence  —  A  Practical  Joke—  Lebanon  —  A 
Vanished  Operator  —  A  Bet  "Won  —  And  Information  Gained  —  An  Astonished 
Operator—  An  Important  Message  —  The  Enemy  Knew  Too  Much  —  But  Not 
For  Long  —  A  Missing  Instrument  —  An  Alarmed  Operator  —  Embarrassing 
Questions  —  Unsatisfactory  Answers  —  Telling  the  Truth  Does  No  Harm  —  A  Pru 
dent  Operator  —  "Fixing  Up  a  Plan  to  Capture  Morgan"  —  A  Sharp  Repri 
mand  —  An  Astonishing  Statement  —  The  Signature  Explained—  General  Or 
ders  No.  1  —  No  More  Such  Work—  Ellsworth's  Invention. 

IN  June,  1862,  when  John  H.  Morgan  was  but  a  colonel,  al 
though  in  command  of  a  brigade  in  the  Confederate  Army, 
there  was,  among  the  gallant  young  Kentuckians  who  flock 
ed  to  his  standard,  a  certain  George  A.  Ellsworth.  In  time 
of  peace,  the  new  recruit  had  been  a  telegraph  operator,  and  he 
intimated  to  Col.  Morgan  that  if  provided  with  a  pocket  instru 
ment  he  might  be  able,  by  intercepting  messages  sent  from  one 
Federal  officer  to  another,  and  by  sending  spurious  dispatches, 
render  a  greater  service  to  the  command  than  the  ordinary 
trooper.  The  officer  lost  no  time  in  providing  the  private  with 
the  instrument  for  which  he  had  asked;  and,  as  our  story  will 
show,  he  never  had  reason  to  regret  having  done  so. 

July  4th,  1862,  Col.  Morgan,  with  a  force  of  about  eight  hun 
dred  men,  left  Knoxville  for  his  afterwards  famous  raid  into  the 
interior  of  Kentucky  ;  a  military  exploit  only  eclipsed,  in  its 
own  peculiar  way,  by  that  later  one,  the  details  of  which  will  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Crossing  the  Cumberland 
River,  at  a  point  nearwhere  it  cuts  the  southern  boundary  ofthe 
state,  the  first  telegraph  wire  which  they  came  upon  was  at 
Horse  Cave,  on  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  Railroad.  Leaving 
219 


220  Captain  Lightning's  Tricks. 

the  command  encamped  at  some  little  distance  from  the  railway 
line,  Col.  Morgan  went  forward  to  the  telegraph  wire,  with 
eleven  men,  of  whom  Mr.  Ellsworth  was  of  course  one.  It  was 
dark  when  they  struck  the  wire ;  and,  curiously  enough,  the  first 
word  which  the  operator  heard,  upon  attaching  his  instrument, 
was  the  name  "  Morgan/' 

Using  all  possible  care,  so  as  not  to  interrupt  any  message  and 
thus  give  the  alarm  at  one  end  or  the  other  of  the  line,  Mr.  Ells 
worth  cut  the  wire,  and  attaching  his  instrument  to  that  which 
came  from  the  north,  prepared  to  obtain  as  much  information 
of  the  enemy's  intentions  as  he  chose  to  commit  to  the  telegraph. 
The  Confederate  soon  found  that  he  was  receiving  messages  from 
G-en.  Boyle,  commanding  the  forces  at  Louisville,  to  Col.  Bruce, 
at  Bowling  Green.  The  dispatches,  generally,  did  not  afford 
much  information,  except  that  all  the  Federals  in  the  state  ap 
peared  to  be  on  the  defensive  against  Morgan,  and  didnot.intend 
to  fight  him  unless  he  attacked  them. 

A  violent  thunderstorm  was  raging  around  them,  and  the  dis 
charges  of  electricity  were  so  frequent  that  they  seriously  inter 
fered  with  the  work  ;  but  as  not  more  than  a  word  or  so  was  lost 
at  any  one  time,  they  were  enabled  to  make  out  the  general  pur 
port  of  the  messages.  But  they  could  not,  of  course,  expect 
Louisville  to  "  talk  "  all  the  time  ;  there  must  be  something  sent 
in  reply.  Accordingly,  Col.  Morgan  directed  that  Gen.  Frye, 
who  was  in  command  at  Nashville,  should  inform  Gen.  Boyle 
that  Forrest  had  taken  Murfreesboro  in  a  manner  most  disastrous 
to  the  Federals;  with  some  particulars  as  to  the  losses  of  men 
and  supplies.  This  was,  of  course,  purely  fictitious;  but  by  a 
strange  coincidence,  Gen.  Forrest  did  take  Murfreesboro  a  day 
or  two  afterward,  under  precisely  such  circumstances  as  were 
thus  stated. 

To  avoid  all  suspicion,  such  as  the  sending  of  purely  military 
dispatches  might  entail,  Col.  Morgan  directed  that  a  certain 
wholesale  liquor  dealer  in  Lexington  should  be  telegraphed  to 
send  two  barrels  of  a  specified  brand  of  whisky,  to  a  customer 
in  Nashville.  They  learned  some  time  afterward s-th at  the  liquor 
had  been  duly  forwarded,  C.  O.  D.,  and  the  man  to  whom  it  was 
addressed  having  declined  to  receive  it,  it  was  returned  to  the 
wholesale  dealer,  who  swore  at  Morgan,  who  had  given  him  two 
sets  of  express  charges  to  pay.  In  answer  to  the  inquiries  of  the 
operator  at  Louisville  as  to  why  no  messages  were  received  from 


Captain  Lightning's  Tricks-  221 

the  south,  Mr.  Ellsworth  answered  that  the  southern  wires  were 
badly  out  of  order;  but  whether  it  was  the  work  of  the  storm,  or 
of  "that  Eebel  Forrest/'  he  could  not  tell. 

This  one  trial  had  thoroughly  convinced  Col.  Morgan  of  the 
usefulness  of  his  new  assistant;  and  Mr.  Ellsworth  was  placed  on 
his  staff,  with  the  rank  of  captain.  But  the  more  formal  title  by 
which  he  was  known  to  the  War  Department  was  only  seldom 
heard  in  the  command  to  which  he  belonged.  Whether  it  was 
because  of  this  one  stormy  night  in  which  he  worked,  exposed  to 
all  the  fury  of  the  elements,  or  because  of  the  agent  which  he 
employed  to  discover  the  secrets  of  the  enemy,  he  was  familiarly 
known  as  Captain  Lightning.  From  whatever  reason  it  may 
have  been  given,  the  name  was  so  appropriate- that  it  stuck 
to  him. 

It  is  not  our  purpose  to  trace  the  progress  of  the  command,  or 
to  narrate  their  adventures,  except  so  far  as  it  is  necessary  to  the 
understanding  of  this  one  man's  actions.  We  omit  mention,  then, 
of  all  between  this  night  in  the  woods,  when  the  summer  storm 
raged  so  fiercely  around  the  little  squad  of  men,  and  the  12th  of 
the  month. 

It  was  three  o'clock  on  that  July  morning  when  the  brigade 
rode  into  Lebanon,  Ky.  Looking  down  the  main  street  of  the 
town,  there  was  but  one  light  visible;  and  from  the  arrangement 
of  the  wires,  Capt.  Ellsworth  felt  convinced  that  the  telegraph 
office  was  located  in  that  very  building.  Nor  was  he  deceived. 
The  light  was  left,  like  everything  else,  just  as  it  had  been  when 
the  operator  had  been  in  possession  ;  but  now  he  had  "  left  for 
parts  unknown,"  and  the  enemy  was  in  his  place.  That  same 
enemy  would  have  much  preferred  that  he  should  have  stayed, 
for  a  while  at  least;  for  some  puzzling  questions  suggested  them 
selves  :  What  was  the  signal  of  the  office?  There  was  nothing 
to  indicate  the  answer — the  signal  book  must  have  been  carried 
off.  Then,  too,  what  had  been  the  last  thing  that  the  operator 
had  said  ?  Had  he  announced  his  intention  to  "  light  out,"  and 
advised  his  comrade  to  "go  and  do  likewise,"  or  had  haste  com 
pelled  him  to  take  French  leave? 

But  if  doubts  were  not  resolved,  they  were  soon  ended,  for  a 
time,  by  the  necessity  of  attending  to  a  call  for  "B"  from  "Z." 
Now,  Capt.  Lightning  had  not  the  slightest  idea  who  "Z"  was, 
or  what  point  he  represented;  and  he  had  serious  misgivings 
as  to  whether  "  B"  meant  Lebanon.  But  as  he  had  no  way  of 


222  Captain  Lightning's  Tricks. 

finding  out,  he  concluded  to  answer  the  call ;  and  he  received  the 
question : 

"  What  of  the  marauders  now  ?" 

He  could  probably  have  told  all  that  "Z"  wanted  to  know 
about  the  "marauders,"  but  contented  himself  with  the  modest 
reply : 

"We  are  still  holding  them  at  bay — no  further  news." 

Swiftly  back  over  the  wires  flashed  the  astonishing  inform 
ation,  doubly  useful  : 

"  There  are  eight  hundred  troops  here  coming  to  Lebanon  te 
your  aid." 

We  have  said  that  this  information  was  doubly  useful ;  for  not 
only  was  the  statement  regarding  the  troops  highly  important, 
but  the  wording  showed  him  that  "B"  really  meant  the  opera 
tor  at  Lebanon.  But  in  order  to  make  use  of  the  message  itself, 
it  was  necessary  to  know  from  what  point  the  troops  were  to 
come  ;  so  that  the  time  of  their  arrival  and  their  freshness  might 
be  duly  calculated.  The  case  was  duly  explained  to  Col.  Mor' 
gan,  who  had  just  entered  the  office. 

"Ask  him  where  he  is,  was  the  ready  suggestion." 

"  That  would  never  do  in  the  world,  Colonel ;  he'd  be  sure  to 
'smell  a  rat.'" 

There  was  silence  for  a  moment,  as  the  telegrapher  endeavor- 
ed  to  think  of  some  feasible  plan.  At  last,  exclaiming,  "  I  have 
it!"  he  stepped  to  the  instrument,  from  which,  in  his  perplexity, 
he  had  turned  away,  and  rapidly  sent  the  following  message: 

"  There  is  a  gentleman  in  the  office  here  that  has  offered  to  bet 
a  box  of  cigars  that  you  can't  spell  the  name  of  your  station 
right." 

"What  does  he  take  me  for,  anyhow?"  was  flashed  back. 

"Don't  know,"  Ellsworth  answered  ;  "  but  I've  taken  the  bet. 
Don't  go  back  on  me,  now.  Send  it  along,  and  be  sure  you  spell 
it  right." 

The  ticking  spelled  out  the  name  "  Lebanon  Junction." 

"  Thank  you,"  went  the  reply,  "  he  acknowledges  that  he  has 
lost." 

"How  did  he  think  I'd  spell  it?" 

"With  two  Us." 

"Lebanon  Junction  was  about  thirty  miles  away,  and  Col. 
Morgan  decided  that  it  would  be  best  to  move  onward.  Accord 
ingly,  after  having  burned  all  the  United  States  Government 


Captain  Lightning's  Tricks.  223 

stores,  including  some  four  thousand  stand  of  arms,  they  took 
up  the  line  of  march  toward  the  northeast.  Camping  at  Versailles 
the  next  night,  Captain  Ellsworth  was  ordered  to  take  a  squad 
of  men  with  him  and  tap  the  wires  between  Midway  and  Frank 
fort.  He  of  course  obeyed,  but  no  information  of  any  import 
ance  was  gained.  The  Federals  were  still  on  the  defensive,  de 
termined  not  to  fight  unless  they  were  attacked.  From  this 
point  they  pressed  on  to  Midway,  so  called  from  its  position  rel 
ative  to  Frankfort  and  Lexington. 

It  was  the  15th  of  July.  They  were  two  or  three  miles  from 
the  town  when  Capt.  Lightning  received  orders  to  take  one  or 
two  men  with  him,  and  ride  into  the  town  in  order  to  capture 
the  telegraph  operator  before  he  could  give  warning  that  the 
Confederates  were  approaching.  Selecting  one  reliable  man,  he 
rode  rapidly  onward,  and  found  the  operator  sitting  on  the  plat 
form  in  front  of  his  office.  Kentucky  is  no  less  famous  for  its 
fine  horses  than  for  its  pretty  girls  and  good  whisky — everyone 
rides;  so  that  the  appearance  of  these  two  men  on  horseback 
created  no  alarm  in  the  mind  of  the  operator.  They  were  not  in 
uniform — such  luxuries  were  hard  to  obtain  in  those  days; 
people  had  to  be  content  with  such  clothes  as  they  could  get; 
and  they  were  armed  only  with  pistols,  which  were  hidden  by 
their  coats.  Dismounting  and  tying  their  horses,  in  so  leisurely 
a -manner  as  to  indicate  their  peaceful  character,  they  spoke  to 
the  operator,  and,  preceded  by  him,  entered  the  office. 

"There's  a  blank,"  he  said,  pushing  a  number  towards  them; 
supposing  that  they  were  only  ordinary  senders. 

"Thank  you,"  returned  Capt.  Ellsworth,  "it's  hardly  worth 
while  to  write  it.  Just  ask  the  operator  at  Lexington  what 
time  of  day  it  is,  will  you  ?" 

"Sir !"  exclaimed  the  operator,  starting  back  in  astonishment. 
He  was  yet  more  surprised  to  find  the  muzzle  of  a  revolver  in 
his  face,  while  the  quiet  tone  became  deep  and  stern  as  it  said: 

"  Do  as  I  tell  you,  at  once." 

The  command  was  at  once  obeyed,  and  Capt.  Lightning  thus 
learned  the  operator's  style,  so  that  he  could  send  the  messages 
in  the  same  way. 

"  Why  are  there  two  wires  here  ?"  was  next  demanded. 

"  This  one  is  what  we  call  the  railroad  wire ;  the  other  is  the 
military  wire.  The  military  dispatches  don't  come  here  at  all." 

"  They  don't  ?     We'll  have  to  fix  that,  Maddox,"  to  the  soldier 


224 


Captain  Lightning's  Tricks. 


who  had  accompanied  him ;  "climb  up  and  cut  that  wire,  please." 
"  Keally,  sir,  I  must  protest  — "  began  the  operator,  aghast 
at  the  other's  cool  impudence. 

"  Eeally,  sir,  it  will  do  no  good  for  you  to  protest.  I  am 
Capt.  Ellsworth,  of  Col.  Morgan's  staff.  That  cloud  of  dust  down 
the  road  means  that  the  whole  command  is  coming  up.  You  are 
my  prisoner,  and  I  will  take  charge  of  the  office.  What  is  your 
name?" 

"  "Woolums,"  was  the  reply. 


"  Do  as  I  tell  you,  at  once." 

"  I  hope  you  will  see  the  wisdom  of  giving  me  all  the  assist 
ance  you  can,  Mr.  Woolums.  Maddox,  you  will  take  charge  of 
the  prisoner  while  I  answer  the  call." 

The  call  chanced  to  be  from  Cincinnati,  from  which  point  a 
dozen  or  so  of  unimportant  dispatches  were  received.  Shortly 
afterwards,  there  came  a  summons  from  Lexington,  and  the  fol 
lowing  message  was  received  • 

"  LEXINGTON,  July  15, 1862. 
To  GEN.  FINNELL,  Frankfort: 

I  wish  you  to  move  the  forces  at  Frankfort,  on  the  line  of  the  Lexing 
ton  Railway  immediately,  and  have  the  cars  follow  and  take  them  up  as  soon  as  possi 
ble.  Further  orders  will  await  them  at  Midway.  I  will,  in  three  or  four  hours, 
move  forward  on  the  Georgetown  pike ;  Morgan  left  Versailles  this  morning  with 


Captain  Lightning's  Tricks.  225 

eight  hundred  and  fifty  men,  on  the  Midway  road,  moving  in  the  direction  of 
Georgetown.  BRIG.-GEX.  WARD." 


By  the  time  that  this  message  was  received,  the  entire  com 
mand  had  entered  the  town,  and  Col.  Morgan  had  come  to  the 
telegraph  office  to  see  what  was  being  done  there. 

"  That's  a  little  too  near  the  truth,  Ellsworth,"  he  said,  as  the 
dispatch  was  read  to  him;  "they  mustn't  be  allowed  to  know  so 
much.  Can't  you  throw  them  off  the  track/' 

Captain  Lightning  reflected  a  short  time,  and  then  dashed  off 
a  few  lines,  and  handed  them  to  Morgan. 

"  How  will  that  do,  sir?" 

The  dispatch  was  dated  at  Frankfort,  addressed  to  Gen.  Ward, 
and  read  thus: 

"  My  last  message  was  founded  on  unreliable  information.  Mor 
gan,  with  his  combined  force,  has  driven  in  our  pickets,  and  will 
make  a  desperate  effort  to  take  the  capital.  Come  to  my  assist 
ance  at  once.  Do  not  come  by  railroad,  as  Morgan  has  undoubt 
edly  destroyed  it  by  this  time." 

A  short  time  afterward,  they  learned  that  three  thousand  men 
were  marched  at  double-quick  for  thirteen  miles  before  it  was 
discovered  that  the  dispatch  was  a  hoax.  When  he  heard  this 
Capt.  Lightning  congratulated  himself  that  he  had  not  been  cap 
tured  by  those  men  while  the  memory  of  that  march  was  fresh 
in  their  minds.  But  enough  had  been  done  at  Midway,  and  in 
an  hour  after  the  troops  had  entered  the  town,  they  were  on  the 
march  to  Georgetown.  Arrived  at  this  place,  the  telegraph 
office  was  found  to  be  locked,  but  a  certain  Mr.  Smith  was  point 
ed  out  to  the  Confederate  as  the  operator. 

"  You  are  the  telegraph  operator  at  this  point?" 

"  I  am,  sir." 

"  I  am  Capt.  Ellsworth,  of  Col.  Morgan's  staff.  I  must  trouble 
yon  to  turn  your  instrument  over  to  me." 

"  I  —  I  am  sorry,  sir,  but  I  have  just  sent  it  to  Lexington  to  be 
repaired." 

"  Key,  magnet  and  sounder?" 

"All,  sir  j  every  part/' 

"  That  is  too  bad.  I  have  the  Lebanon  and  Midway  instru 
ments,  and  was  anxious  to  add  another  to  my  collection/' 

Mr.  Smith  stuck  to  his  story,  and  Capt.  Ellsworth,  affecting  to 
believe  it,  became  very  friendly.  They  had  a  pleasant  chat,  and 
finally  the  soldier  invited  his  new  acquaintance  to  take  supper 


226  Captain  Lightning's  Tricks. 

with  him  at  the  hotel.  The  invitation  was  accepted,  and  the 
guest,  in  due  time,  introduced  to  Col.  Morgan. 

"  Ah,  by  the  way,  Ellsworth/'  said  the  commander,  "  I  sup 
pose  you  added  to  your  collection  here?" 

"No;  Mr.  Smith  informs  me  that  he  has  sent  his  instrument 
to  Lexington  for  repairs." 

"That's  unfortunate,  since  you  were  in  such  a  hurry  to  com 
plete  the  magic  number.  What  do  you  intend  to  do  about  it?" 

"  O,  if  I  can't  get  the  instrument,  I'll  have  to  take  the  opera 
tor.  I  don't  much  like  to  send  him  to  Dixie,  but  I  don't  see  how 
I  can  do  any  better." 

When  supper  was  over,  Mr.  Smith  requested  a  private  inter 
view  with  Oapt.  Ellsworth,  at  which  he  produced  the  instru 
ment.  Col.  Morgan  and  his  aid  repaired  to  the  telegraph  office 
soon  afterward,  and  the  latter  desired  that  the  operator  at  Lex 
ington  should  be  called. 

"  I  hardly  think  we  can  fool  him,  Colonel,"  objected  Captain 
Lightning;  "for  I  think  that  Smith  must  have  told  him  his  rea 
son  for  stopping  work;  but  I'll  try  it." 

Lexington  was  called,  and  answered.  After  a  few  unimport* 
ant  dispatches  both  ways,  the  question  was  asked  of  the  George 
town  operator : 

"Where  is  Morgan  now?" 

"'Hadn't  I  better  tell  him  the  truth,  Colonel?"  asked  Ells 
worth,  as  he  received  the  dispatch;  "they  must  know  our 
whereabouts  so  nearly  that  any  attempt  to  deceive  them  would 
result  in  their  finding  out  who  is  sending." 

Receiving  an  answer  in  the  affirmative,  he  sent  a  statement  of 
the  true  position  of  the  camp,  and  the  real  number  of  men.  Back 
came  the  question  : 

"  If  Morgan's  camp  is  only  a  mile  from  town,  and  his  officers 
in  town,  how  can  you  be  working  the  line  ?  He  has  an  operator 
on  his  staff;  what  has  become  of  him?  How  did  you  prevent 
his  taking  your  instrument?" 

The  reply  was  a  judicious  mixture  of  truth  and  falsehood  : 

"  I  concealed  my  instrument  and  told  him  that  I  had  sent  it  to 
Lexington  for  repairs.  I  can  have  no  light  in  the  office,  as  no 
one  must  know  that  I  am  at  work.  I  receive  by  sound  only." 

It  was  less  usual,  twenty  years  ago,  for  the  operator  to  read 
by  sound  than  it  is  now;  many,  especially  in  the  smaller  towns, 
clinging  to  the  paper  strips  used  in  the  earliest  forms  of  the  in- 


Captain  Lightning's  Tricks.  227 

strument.  Whether  for  this,  or  for  some  other  reason,  the  Lex 
ington  people  did  not  think  the  pathetic  picture  of  telegraphing 
under  difficulties  was  drawn  from  life ;  the  story  was,  to  use  a 
more  modern  expression,  too  transparent.  Back  came  the  ques 
tion,  short  and  sharp : 

"  Where's  your  assistant  ?" 

Georgetown  didn't  know;  in  fact,  the  present  operator  didn't 
know  that  he  had  one,  but  he  omitted  to  say  so  to  Lexington. 

"  Haven't  you  seen  him  to-day  ?" 

Ellsworth  ventured  a  "  no  •"  the  reply  was  evidently  not  in 
accordance  with  Smith's  dispatches,  for  the  batteries  were  sud 
denly  disconnected,  and  communication  with  Lexington  entirely 
cut  off.  The  military  authorities  at  Lexington,  learning  that 
Morgan's  operator  was  at  Georgetown,  refused  to  believe  the 
true  information  that  had  been  received  from  that  point ;  and  be- 
•  cause  Ellsworth  had  said  that  eight  hundred  and  fifty  Confeder 
ates  were  encamped  on  a  certain  farm,  they  straightway  con 
cluded  that  the  force  was  moving  in  some  other  direction.  It 
was  certainly  one  instance  in  which  truth-telling  served  better 
than  lying. 

Captain  Lightning  added  another  instrument  to  his  collection 
after  the  fight  at  Cynthiana,  on  the  17th.  The  operator  had  fled 
the  town,  and  the  apparatus  had  disappeared;  but  a  little  close 
questioning  disclosed  the  direction  of  the  flight;  and  in  a  hol 
low  tree  that  stood  near  the  line  of  retreat,  the  instrument  was 
found,  snugly  stowed  awa}^.  The  brigade  turned  southward  from 
Cynthiana,  that  being  the  most  northerly  point  which  they 
struck  during  the  raid;  and  returned  to  Tennessee  by  a  route 
about  forty  or  fifty  miles  to  the  eastward  of  that  by  which  they 
had  advanced.  No  event  of  importance  occurred  in  the  telegraph 
department  until  they  reached  Somerset,  about  forty-five  miles 
north  of  the  Tennessee  line,  and  nearly  due  south  of  Lexington. 

It  was  nearly  10  o'clock  on  the  night  of  July  21st,  and  the 
men,  who  had  been  in  the  saddle  since  early  morning,  were 
thoroughly  worn  out.  They  were  still  six  or  eight  miles  from 
Somerset,  when  the  order  was  given:  "Captain  Lightning  to 
the  front !"  It  was  some  time  before  he  could  be  found  ;  for,  in 
the  darkness,  one  man  riding  along  fast  asleep  looks  very  much 
like  another  under  the  same  conditions;  but  at  last  he  was  dis 
covered.  Wide  awake  as  soon  as  he  learned  that  he  was  want 
ed,  ho  urged  his  horse  forward  to  the  head  of  the  column,  where 
15 


228  Captain  Lightning's  Tricks. 

rode  the  colonel.  There  he  received  orders  to  take  two  men, 
and  pushing  forward  into  the  town,  capture  the  telegraph  oper 
ator  before  he  could  learn  that  the  raiders  were  near.  When  he 
arrived  at  the  office,  there  was  but  one  man  in  it. 

"Are  you  the  operator?" 

"I  am  not." 

"  Where  is  he  ?" 

"Well,"  drawled  the  other,  "he  looked  out  of  that  window 
and  saw  you  and  your  companions  riding  down  the  street;  and 
being  a  bashful  man,  he  went  out  of  this  window  just  as  soon  as 
he  saw  that  you  were  coming  to  see  him." 

"  Did  he  send  any  message  in  regard  to  leaving  the  office?" 

"My  friend,"  returned  the  stranger,  "  not  being  a  telegrapher, 
I  cannot  tell  what  message  is  being  sent,  unless  I  see  it  written 
out ;  but  I  am  quite  sure  that  he  did  not  send  any  such  dispatch, 
for  he  didn't  take  the  time.  He  was  intent  on  saving  his  own 
bacon,  and  lit  out  without  any  regard  for  any  one  else." 

But  a  call  from  Louisville  at  this  moment  claimed  Ellsworth's 
attention  ;  and  responding  to  it,  he  was  asked  : 

"  Any  signs  of  Morgan  yet  ?" 

There  was  a  signal-book  in  the  office,  and  this  enabled  him  to 
find  the  signal  for  his  station,  In  a  moment's  time  he  replied  : 

"None.     What  are  the  latest  reports  !" 

"  Morgan,  with  a  thousand  men,  left  Crab  Orchard  at  1  P.  M. 
to-day.  Keep  a  sharp  lookout  and  let  us  know  of  his  approach. 
Be  sure  to  secure  your  instrument,  so  that  it  will  not  fall  into 
the  hands  of  his  operator." 

Several  dispatches,  of  little  or  no  interest,  passed  to  and  fro, 
and  at  midnight  the  operator  at  Somerset  asked  permission  to 
close  the  office  that  he  might  get  some  sleep.  Of  course  he  did 
not  urge  that  he  had  been  riding  since  early  that  morning;  if 
he  had,  they  would  have  excused  him,  beyond  a  doubt.  As  it 
was,  the  answer  came  : 

"  No,  you  must  stay.  We  are  fixing  up  a  plan  to  capture  Mor 
gan,  and  may  need  you." 

For  two  hours  longer  the  worn-out  man  remained  at  his  post, 
waiting  to  hear  their  plan  for  capturing  Morgan;  but  when  he 
found  no  information  seemed  likely  to  come,  he  begged  off.  But 
they  would  release  him  only  until  six  o'clock ;  and  promising 
to  be  on  hand  promptly  at  that  hour,  he  betook  himself  to  bed. 
Instead,  however,  of  returning  promptly  at  six,  the  office  diu 


Captain  Lightning's  Tricks.  220 

not  see  him  again  until  nearly  nine.  He  gave  the  signal  that  he 
was  on  duty  again,  and  received  in  reply  a  withering  rebuke — 
only  it  didn't  seem  to  wither  him  worth  a  cent.  Even  the  con 
clusion  of  the  message,  which  might  have  been  alarming  to  any 
other  operator  produced  no  other  effect  than  a  grim  chuckle  of 
satisfaction. 

"  If  you  cannot  attend  to  the  duties  of  your  position  any  bet 
ter,  we  will  send  a  reliable  man  to  relieve  you." 

His  news  that  there  were  no  signs  of  Morgan  yet,  however, 
seemed  to  exert  a  cooling  influence  upon  their  anger,  and  a  few 
messages,  of  little  importance,  were  received.  Evidently  they 
had  not  yet  fixed  up  their  plan  to  capture  Morgan.  At  any  rate, 
they  had  not  yet  tried  it  when,  an  hour  before  noon,  that  officer 
came  in  and  dictated  this  message  : 

"SOMERSET,  KENTUCKY,  July  22d,  1862. 
To  GEO.  D.  PRENTICE,  ESQ.,  Editor  Louisville  Journal,  Louisville,  Kentucky : 

I  have  passed  through  seventeen  counties,  captured  two  thousand  pris 
oners,  four  thousand  stand  of  arras,  and  destroyed  $1,000,000  worth  of  United  States 
Government  stores.  I  am  now  off  for  Dixie. 

JOHN  H.  MORGAN, 

Colonel  Commanding  Brigade." 

The  sending  of  the  dispatch  progressed  smoothly  enough 
until  the  words  "  United  States  Government  stores  "  were  reach 
ed,  when  Louisville  suddenly  interrupted  Capt.  Lightning  with 
the  question : 

"  What  hi  the  world  do  you  mean  by  that  ?" 

"  The  signature  will  explain  it  all,"  returned  Ellsworth,  and 
went  on  with  the  message.  Sure  enough,  the  signature  did 
throw  a  flood  of  light  on  the  subject.  And  now  Louisville  be 
gan  to  question : 

"  How  long  have  you  been  in  Somerset?" 

"  Since  eleven,  last  night." 

"  Have  you  captured  the  operator  there  ?" 

"  Haven't  seen  him.  He  went  out  of  the  window  before  I  got 
here.  You  ought  to  employ  more  polite  men." 

"  It's  a  good  joke  on  us,  anyhow.  You've  fooled  us  com 
pletely." 

As  a  pianist  closes  a  sparkling  series  of  notes  with  a  few  heav 
ier  chords,  so  Captain  Ellsworth  wound  up  his  operations  in 
Kentucky  by  the  following  dispatch ; 


230  Captain  Lightning's  Tricks. 


**  HEADQUARTERS,  j 

TELEGRAPH  DEPARTMENT  OF  KENTUCKY,  >• 

CONFEDERATE  STATES  OF  AMERICA.     J 
GENERAL  ORDERS,  No.  1. 

When  an  operator  is  positively  informed  that  the  enemy  is  marching 
on  his  station,  he  will  immediately  proceed  to  destroy  the  telegraphic  instruments  and 
all  material  in  his  charge.  Such  instances  of  carelessness  as  were  exhibited  on  the 
part  of  the  operators  at  Lebanon,  Midway  and  Georgetown,  will  be  severely  dealt 
with. 

By  order  of  U.  A.  ELLSWORTH, 

General  Military  Superintendent  C.  S.  Telegraphic  Dept." 

Captain  Lightning's  services,  thus  memorably  begun,  were  in 
frequent  demand  in  all  of  Morgan's  expeditions.  Cutting  tele 
graph  wires  and  communicating  with  one  end  of  the  lines  by 
means  of  a  pocket  instrument,  was,  of  course,  a  means  frequent 
ly  used,  by  many  other  officers,  to  gain  information  of  the  ene 
my's  plans;  but  Morgan's  aid  seemed  to  possess,  in  the  highest 
degree,  the  power  of  deceiving  those  with  whom  he  was  in  com 
munication.  Finally,  as  if  to  prove  how  thoroughly  he  had 
studied  the  subject,  he  has,  since  the  close  of  the  war,  perfected 
an  invention  which  makes  it  impossible  for  any  one  to  play  the 
operator  such  tricks  as  he  played  the  Federals  while  he  was  in 
the  Confederate  Army. 


NOTE. — Since  preparing  the  above  article,  the  writer  has  come 
into  possession  of  a  slip  from  the  Atlanta  Confederacy,  dated  in 
August,  1862,  giving  a  number  of  dispatches  sent  from  Somerset. 
In  addition  to  those  in  the  text,  there  is  the  following: 

u  SOMERSET,  July  22d. 
GEN.  T.  J.  BOYLE,  Louisville : 

Good  morning,  Jerry.  This  telegraph  is  a  great  institution.  You 
should  destroy  it,  as  it  keeps  you  too  well  posted.  My  friend,  Ellsworth,  has  all  of 
your  dispatches  since  July  10th  on  file.  Do  you  wish  copies  ? 

JOHN  H.  MORGAN, 

UoL  Commanding  Brigade" 


A  WONDERFUL  RIDE. 

Self  Praise  is  Half  Scandal — An  Enemy's  Generosity — Charge  on  the  Battery — A 
Cannoneer's  Kesolve — Saving  a  Gun — Five  Hundred  Bullets — The  Mark  Un- 
hit — Cheered  by  the  Enemy — Safe. 

MANY  a  man  who  manifests  no  extraordinary  courage  on 
the  battle-field  is  extremely  brave  when  with  his  com 
rades  beside  the  camp-fire  ;  and,  when  sitting,  pen  in  hand,  with 
a  sheet  of  smooth  white  paper  before  him,  remembers  gallant 
deeds  and  daring  achievements  which  no  man  ever  witnessed. 
How  many  a  broken  soldier  who  "  shoulders  his  crutch  and 
shows  how  fields  were  won,"  has  done  himself  the  chief  part  in 
gaining  that  victory,  although  the  unjust  world  has  given  the 
glory  to  another!  Far  be  it  from  us  to  cavil  at  any  man's  just 
claim  to  honor ;  but  that  such  may  not  be  deprived  of  any  por 
tion  of  what  is  due  them,  let  us  examine  rigorously  each  claim 
that  is  advanced,  and  receive  none  that  do  not  deserve  our  ac 
ceptance. 

Sometimes  the  case  assumes  a  different  form.  Was  there  ever 
a  great  man  without  his  admiring  biographers?  Sometimes  a 
partial  friend  narrates  the  exploits  and  adventures  of  a  man  who 
cannot  or  will  not  speak  for  himself.  Whether  it  be  told  by  the 
chief  actor  or  by  another,  who  is  really  a  satellite,  the  story 
must  be  carefully  considered ;  especially  when,  as  in  the  case  of 
adventures  during  the  **  late  onpleasantness,"  there  is  a  parti 
san  feeling,  hot  and  bitter,  for  which  we  are  to  make  allowance. 
But  when  an  enemy  tells  the  story,  what  then  ?  Then  indeed  it 
must  be  true — all  that  is  said  in  praise  of  the  heroism  displayed  j 
for  nearly  every  instinct  of  our  poor,  weak  human  nature  tends 
to  blind  us  to  the  merits  of  our  foes*  Kot  a  word,  then,  would 
231 


232 


A   Wonderful  Ride. 


we  disbelieve  of  the  story  that  follows;  for  it  rests  on  the  word 
of  an  enemy,  who  could  have  no  reason  for  enhancing  the  cour 
age  of  the  chief  actor;   not  even  the  motive  which  leads  the 
wrestler  to  represent  his  conquered  opponent  as  possessed  of 
extraordinary  strength  and  skill. 

The  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  or  Manassas  (for  the  oppos 
ing  forces  named  it  differently)  lasted  for  two  days.  At  the  end 
of  the  first,  August  29th,  1862,  neither  side  could  claim  the  vic 
tory,  and  neither  would  acknowledge  itself  whipped.  At  dawn 
of  the  30th,  then,  the  veterans  of  both  armies  went  at  it  again 
with  renewed  energy,  and  before  night  the  result  was  seen— the 


Bull  Run  Battle-Fidd. 

Federal  forces  retreated,  leaving  the  field  in  the  hands  of  the 
Confederates.  But  before  the  forces  of  Pope  and  McDowell  had 
given  up  hope,  there  occurred  the  incident  of  the  battle  which 
is  our  present  subject.  Told,  as  the  story  is,  by  one  of  the  Con 
federate  officers,  many  of  the  points  we  would  wish  to  know  in 
connection  with  it  are  not  related ;  not  even  the  name  of  the 
hero  is  recorded. 

Hood's  men  charged  down  the  hill  from  the  Henry  House  upon 
the  first  Federal  line;  and  the  gunners  saw  that  their  battery  was 
doomed.  One,  at  least,  was  resolved  that  one  of  the  guns  should 
not  fall  in  the  hand  of  the  Confederates;  but  the  task  of  saving 
it  was  a  fearful  one.  Between  the  battery  and  the  nearest  point 
to  where  the  cannon  would  be  safe,  there  was  a  ditch,  four  feet 


234 


A   Wonderful  Ride. 


A    Wonderful  Ride.  235 

wide,  and  equally  deep.  This,  of  course,  was  a  barrier  which 
the  heavy  gun-carriage  could  not  pass;  he  must  drive  around  it, 
and  the  end  was  half  a  mile  or  more  from  the  starting  point. 
The  horses,  four  magnificent  light  grays,  had  not  been  unhitch 
ed,  so  that  no  time  was  lost  in  the  start.  Along  the  ditch  he 
drove,  and  his  driving  was  like  that  of  Jehu;  for  Hood's  men 
were  not  far  off,  the  whole  brigade  wreathed  in  smoke  from  their 
own  muskets. 

Thick  and  fast  fell  the  balls  around  him;  but  not  one  hit  the 
mark.  The  powerful  horses  seemed  to  understand  fully  the 
state  of  affairs,  and  strained  every  muscle  to  win  in  this  terrible 
race  with  death.  Onward,  onward  still,  with  no  slackening  of 
pace — he  did  not  spare  the  noble  horses — he  had  not  spared 
himself. 

Now  a  portion  of  this  dreadful  ordeal  by  fire  is  passed;  the 
Confederates  of  that  one  brigade  have  swept  down  upon  the  line 
of  Federals;  it  has  broken,  and  fled  in  disorder.  The  gunners 
have  left  their  post,  and  their  guns  are  turned  against  them — all 
but  one.  The  hot  sun  of  a  Southern  August,  though  clouded 
now  by  the  smoke  of  the  battle,  has  drawn  every  drop  of  mois 
ture  from  the  parched  earth;  and  the  dust  rises  at  every  step 
the  horses  take,  until  they  are  almost  hidden  from  sight.  The 
first  brigade,  that  which  was  attacking  the  battery  itself,  had  been 
passed,  and  man  and  horses  escaped  unnoticed  and  unscathed. 
But  the  real  trial  had  hardly  begun,  for  here  was  another  body 
of  troops  ready,  as  it  appeared,  waiting  for  him. 

The  gun-carriage  thundered  along  in  its  attendant  cloud  of 
dust.  The  Confederates  took  in  the  situation  in  a  moment;  or 
ders  to  fire  were  unnecessary;  they  took  aim  as  by  common  con 
sent,  and  hundreds  of  bullets  were  sent  on  their  way,  that  death 
might  win  the  race.  But  it  seemed  all  in  vain.  The  heroic 
charioteer  seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  life. 

"  Aim  lower,  boys,"  cried  an  officer,  as  he  rode  along  the  line ; 
"fire  at  the  horses,  not  at  the  man." 

Perhaps,  while  he  recognized  the  desirability,  in  a  military 
point  of  view,  of  capturing  the  gun,  he  was  not  unwilling  to 
spare  the  life  of  the  heroic  enemy.  Perhaps  he  was  anxious 
only  to  take  the  gun  and  cared  nothing  for  the  gunner;  more 
probably  he  realized  that  if  he  could  disable  the  horses  he  would 
capture  the  man.  At  any  rate,  the  mad  progress  must  be 
stopped. 


236  A   Wonderful  Ride. 

His  orders  were  obeyed,  and  he  marked  one  man,  especially, 
from  whose  shot  he  hoped  much.  This  soldier  was  known  in  all 
the  regiment  for  the  excellence  of  his  marksmanship ;  and  as  he 
dropped  on  one  knee,  sighted  his  piece,  and  sent  the  ball  on 
its  way,  his  comrades  looked  confidently  to  see  one  of  the  horses 
fall  to  the  earth.  The  bullet  sped  through  the  air,  and  the  car 
riage  still  thundered  on.  Again  the  sharpshooter  took  aim,  and 
again  he  missed  his  mark.  The  brave  cannoneer  seemed  to  be 
made  of  other  material  than  flesh  and  blood,  else  surely  some 
one  of  those  five  hundred  bullets  would  have  reached  his  heart. 

Onward,  onward  still,  and  at  last  the  head  of  the  ditch  is 
reached  and  turned  at  full  gallop — he  has  run  the  gauntlet;  he 
has  passed  the  ordeal  of  fire;  he  is  out  of  range;  he  is  on  the 
hillside.  '  He  rises,  turns  in  his  saddle,  and  looks  defiantly  to 
wards  the  enemy  whose  bullets  could  not  harm  him;  he  waves 
his  hat,  and  cheers ;  they  see  the  gesture,  though  they  cannot 
hear  the  sound;  in  all  those  regiments,  there  is  hardly  a  man 
who  can  find  it  in  his  heart  to  regret  the  cannoneer's  escape; 
and  from  the  Confederate  ranks  rises  an  answering  cheer  for 
the  brave  Federal.  Then  they  press  on,  intent  only  on  driving 
from  the  field  the  army  to  which  he  belongs,  and  this  incident 
passes  down  into  history  to  be  almost — but  not  quite — lost 
among  the  innumerable  throng  of  brave  deeds  by  brave  men. 


A  GEKERAL'S  ESCAPE. 

Manassas  or  Bull  Kun — Hunting  for  Troops — An  Unexpected  Meeting — A  Trio  of 
Stragglers — Who  Exchanged  Opinions — One  is  Suspected — They  had  Better 
have  Let  Him  Go — A  Surprised  Federal. 

Ethe  latter  part  of  August,  1862,  when,  for  the  second  time, 
he  thunder  of  the  guns  was  heard  upon  "  Manassas '  solemn 
plains,"  and  Bull  Run  was  again  crimson  with  the  blood  of 
two  armies,  Brig. -Gen.  Pryor  found  that  it  was  necessary  for 
him  to  call  up  certain  regiments  which  he  had  hitherto  held  in 
reserve.  Every  aid  had  been  dispatched  on  various  errands, 
not  a  man  could  be  spared  from  the  line  of  battle;  the  general 
then  decided  to  be  his  own  messenger,  and  started  off  on  foot. 
He  reached  in  safety  the  position  held  by  the  two  regiments,  or 
dered  them  forward  to  that  which  he  wished  them  to  occupy, 
and  started  on  his  return;  expecting,  of  course,  to  find  his  men 
where  he  had  left  them.  But  the  position  of  the  two  armies 
sometimes  changes  so  suddenly  during  a  great  battle  that  one  can 
never  be  quite  certain  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  any  one  particu 
lar  command  ;  and  so  Gen.  Pryor  found  to  his  sorrow. 

For  his  troops  were  nowhere  to  be  seen  when  he  arrived  at 
the  point  they  had  so  recently  occupied.  Doubtless,  he  thought, 
they  had  moved  onward  ;  he  would  follow  them  to  the  front. 
Trudging  forward,  he  soon  came  upon  a  most  remarkable  sight 
— two  Federal  soldiers,  sitting  at  the  foot  of  a  hayrick.  What 
could  it  mean  ?  They  were  evidently  not  prisoners,  for  they  re 
tained  their  arms ;  near  them  stood  their  two  muskets,  one  with, 
and  the  other  without  a  bayonet.  He  had  come  upon  them  too 
suddenly  to  admit  of  retreat;  arid  being  covered  by  a  Mexican 
poncho,  which  completely  concealed  his  uniform  and  all  insig- 

237 


238  A  General's  Escape. 

nia  of  rank,  tie  decided  to  pass  by  as  unconcernedly  as  he  could, 
as  if  he  were  one  of  their  own  comrades.  But  his  plans  were 
foiled. 

"  Hallo,  you  I"  called  one  of  them.  It  would  not  do  to  disre 
gard  this,  especially  as  it  was  repeated  with  some  emphasis,  and 
he  replied  in  Yankee  fashion,  with  a  question: 

"What  do  you  want?" 

"  Come  over  here  a  minute." 

He  dared  not  disobey;  it  was  two  to  one,  and  very  close  quar 
ters. 

"Come  from  the  front?"   asked  one. 

"  Yes,  just  now,"  he  replied. 

"How's  everything  going  on  there?" 

"  Oh,  all  right.  I  got  tired  of  it,  though,  as  you  seem  to 
have  done." 

The  Federals  laughed  at  the  hit,  and  one  replied : 

"Well,  it  is  apt  to  tire  a  fellow.  Just  listen  to  that  firing! 
Don't  you  feel  good  about  it  when  you  think  you're  a  mile  and  a 
half  inside  the  lines?  I  do,  and  I  don't  count  myself  a  coward 
either." 

G-en.  Pryor  could  not  say  that  it  made  him  "feel  good"  to 
know  that  he  was  so  far  within  the  enemy's  lines;  so  he  evaded 
the  question,  and  returned  in  the  same  frank  tone  that  the  Yan 
kee  had  used : 

"Well,  it  does  very  well  to  be  in  the  battle  for  a  little,  but  it's 
hard  work,  and  we  can  fight  all  the  better  for  having  a  little  rest 
once  in  a  while." 

"  You  were  taking  a  stroll  for  the  benefit  of  your  health, 
weren't  you,  when  we  hailed  you?" 

"Yes,  and  found  it  pretty  hot  weather  for  walking,  too.  You 
seem  to  have  a  pretty  comfortable  place  of  it  here,"  answered 
the  Confederate,  who  found  it  decidedly  uncomfortable,  and  was 
beginning  to  wonder  how  in  the  world  he  would  get  out  of  it. 

"Which  division  do  you  belong  to,  Pope's  or  McDowell's?" 

"Pope's;  and  you?"  the  general  asked  in  reply,  hoping  to 
divert  their  questions  from  such  a  decidedly  personal  course. 

"Pope's,  too.   What  regiment?" 

The  stranger  had  been  abstractedly  gazing  in  the  direction  of 
the  firing  ever  since  he  had  asked  about  the  division  to  which 
his  companions  belonged.  He  now  turned  suddenly,  and  to  gain 
time,  pretended  not  to  have  heard  the  inquiry  : 


A  General's  Escape. 


239 


"I  beg  your  pardon,  but  what  did  you  say?" 

"  I  asked  you  what  your  regiment  was,"  returned  the  Federal, 
in  a  somewhat  sharper  tone  than  he  had  yet  used. 

Here  was  a  dilemma ;  he  had  unfortunately  laid  claim  to  be  a 
member  of  their  own  division  ;  there  was  nothing  about  them  to 
indicate  their  regiment  and  brigade;  he  might  happen  upon  the 
very  one  to  which  they  belonged,  and  that,  of  course,  would  in 
crease  the  unpleasantness  of  the  situation.  He  was  completely 
taken  aback  and  had  no  answer  ready. 

"  The— the  Thirty-first  New  York,"  he  hazarded  with  some 
hesitation. 

"You're  a 
d  Rebel, 
my  p  r  i  s- 


d — 
and 


oner,"  exclaim 
ed  the  Yank, 
springing  to  his 
feet,  all  his  lurk 
ing  suspicions 
confirmed  by 
the  other's  hesi 
tating  tone,  no 
less  than  by  his 
having  named  -a 
regiment  in 
Gen.  Me.  Dow- 
ell's  division. 

As  quick  as 
thought  the  act 
ive  and  power-  Turning  the  Tables. 
ful  Confederate  had  sprung  towards  the  two  muskets,  grasped 
the  bayoneted  one,  and  before  the  Federal  could  turn  towards 
him,  had  run  it  twice  through  his  body.  The  wounded  man 
fell  heavily  to  the  earth  ;  the  second  Federal,  who  had  been  re 
clining  at  ease  beneath  the  hayrick,  started  to  his  feet  as  if  to 
make  off.  It  would  never  do  to  leave  an  enemy  in  his  rear,  and 
the  Confederate,  by  a  third  thrust,  laid  the  second  Federal  help 
less  on  the  field.  Dropping  the  musket  as  a  useless  encumbrance, 
he  started  at  full  speed  along  the  course  he  had  been  pursuing 
when  he  was  stopped  by  them. 

The  information  they  had  unconsciously  given,  that  they  were 


240  A  General's  Escape, 

a  mile  and  a  half  inside  the  Federal  lines,  was  of  considerable 
service  to  him,  as  it  enabled  him  to  calculate  very  nearly  the 
position  of  his  own  command.  Much  time  was  lost  in  dodging  the 
Federal  stragglers,  who  where  pretty  thick  now,  for  the  tide  of 
battle  was  again  turning,  bearing  the  Stars  and  Stripes  back 
ward,  and  the  Stars  and  Bars  forward  this  time.  It  was  more 
than  an  hour  before  he  regained  his  own  command,  not  being 
again  halted  by  any  of  the  Federals. 

The  two  days  of  battle  ended  at  night  in  a  victory  for  the 
Confederates.  The  next  day,  Gen.  Pryor  sent  an  aid  to  the 
various  hospitals  in  the  neighborhood,  to  see  if  there  was  a  man 
wounded  by  one  or  two  bayonet  thrusts;  for  he  was  desirous  of 
knowing  the  fate  of  the  two  Federals.  The  aid  returned  with 
the  intelligence  that  one  was  in  a  certain  building,  and  the  brig 
adier,  mounting  his  horse,  rode  over  to  see  if  it  was  the  same 
man.  It  proved  to  be  the  one  who  had  taken  the  foremost  part  in 
the  conversation. 

"Do  you  know  me?" 

"Yes,  sir, I  do,"  replied  the  sufferer,  with  emphasis;  "you're 
the  man  who  stuck  me.  "Who  are  you  anyhow  ?" 

"Koger  A.Pryor,  of  the  Confederate  Army." 

"Gen.  Pryor?  Oh,  my  good  heavens,  if  I  could  only  have 
caught  a  brigadier  I" 


A  PAIR  OF  FORAGERS. 

They  Want  their  Breakfast— How  They  Got  it— A  Traitorous  Hostess— Pursued— 
Close  Quarters — A  Narrow  Escape — Detected — A  Good  Thing  for  the  Com 
mand. 

LATE  in  the  fall  of  1862  four  companies  of  cavalry  were  de 
tailed  to  carry  ballot  boxes  to  Smithfield,  twenty-two 
miles  north  of  which  place  the  main  body  was  encamped.  The 
march  was  safely  accomplished ;  the  ballot  boxes  were  placed  in 
the  hands  of  the  proper  authorities;  and,  after  a  very  short  stay 
at  Smithfield,  the  guardians  of  the  ballot  box  set  out  on  their 
return  trip.  By  marching  directly  back,  it  was  not,  of  course, 
expected  that  they  would  reach  camp  that  same  night ;  but  they 
could  bivouac  in  the  open  air — the  weather  was  still,  notwith 
standing  the  advancing  season,  extremely  moderate — and  they 
would  be  in  camp  at  a  much  earlier  hour  than  if  they  did  not 
leave  Smithfield  until  morning.  A  suitable  place  was  selected 
for  the  bivouac,  and  after  discussing  the  uninviting  rations  with 
the  keen  appetites  which  their  long  ride  had  given  them,  the  men 
wrapped  themselves  in  their  blankets  and  laid  themselves  around 
the  fires,  to  rest  for  the  night. 

But  even  hard  tack  and  salt  pork  were  not  over  plentiful,  and 
two  adventurous  troopers  decided  that  they  would  have  a  break 
fast  more  palatable  than  their  suppers  had  been  j  so  rising  some 
time  before  reveille,  they  mounted  their  horses,  and,  slipping  past 
the  guards,  made  their  way  out  of  camp.  After  riding  two  or  three 
miles  they  came  to  a  very  comfortable  looking  farm-house,  where 
they  concluded  to  make  their  demands.  The  family  were  already 
stirring.  Dismounting,  they  gave  a  rousing  knock  at  the  door. 

"  G-ood  morning,  madam,"  said  one  of  them  to  the  woman  whq 


242 


A  Pair  of  Foragers. 


made  her  appearance  in  answer  to  this  summons.  "  Can  we  get 
breakfast  here?" 

"I  reckon  you  can,"  she  replied,  somewhat  ungraciously;  she 
had  no  objection  to  breakfasting  soldiers,  but  she  preferred 
those  in  gray  uniforms.  "I  can't  give  you  a  very  nice  breakfast, 
she  added,  as  they  entered,  "  for  I  haven't  got  it.  The  War  in 
terferes  with  everything,  it  seems." 

"Just  so  it  isn't  hard-tack  and  pickled  mule,"  was  the  reply. 

In  a  few  moments  the  meal  was  announced;  and  to  the  hungry 


The  Mysterious  Signals. 

Federals  the  fried  bacon  and  eggs  and  rich  corn-bread  were  a  wel 
come  relief  from  the  monotony  of  camp-diet.  They  ate  heartily 
and  without  any  thought  of  the  danger  that  threatened  them ; 
for  they  were  barely  three  miles  from  the  famous  Blackwater, 
where  a  large  force  of  Confederate  cavalry,  as  they  knew,  had 
been  posted  on  the  previous  day.  They  finished  their  breakfast, 
and  were  quietly  wending  their  way  to  the  stables,  whither  their 
horses  had  been  taken  for  feeding,  when  they  saw  a  somewhat 
alarming  sight.  In  the  rear  of  the  house,  at  some  little  distance. 
there  was  swamp,  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  trees.  At  the 


A  Pair  of  Foragers.  243 

back  door  of  the  house  stood  their  hostess  making  mysterious 
signals  towards  the  pine  woods. 

"  Bogers,  do  you  see  what  she's  doing  ?"  asked  one  of  the  other. 

"  She's  carrying  on  some  game,  I  guess,"  replied  Eogers ; 
"she  looks  like  a  witch  trying  to  enchant  us." 

The  boy  who  had  attended  to  the  feeding  of  their  horses  had 
by  this  time  come  too  near  them,  as  the  performance  of  his  duties 
called  him  hither  and  thither,  to  permit  them  to  speak  without 
being  overheard  5  so  that  the  first  speaker,  who  had  looked 
sharply  about  him,  could  only  nudge  his  companion  to  call  his 
attention  to  another  new-made  discovery.  At  one  point  on  the 
edge  of  the  pine  thicket  stood  a  Confederate;  some  little  dis 
tance  from  him,  in  a  spot  where  the  woods  appeared  to  recede 
^lightly,  there  was  another.  The  first  watched  the  house  closely, 
and  evidently  was  looking  for  the  signals  made  by  the  mistress  of 
the  mansion  ;  a  gesture  noted,  he  would  turn  and  repeat  it  to  his 
comrade,  who  in  his  turn  would  convey  the  meaning  to  some  per 
son  or  persons  within  the  shelter  of  the  woods. 

The  two  Federals  realized  at  once  that  they  were  being  be 
trayed  by  their  unwilling  entertainer,  who  had  been  afraid  to 
refuse  their  request.  There  was  not  a  moment  to  lose,  and  they 
hurried  on  towards  the  stable,  hoping  to  mount  and  ride  away 
in  such  haste  that  the  Confederates  would  not  have  time  to  bring 
up  that  larger  force  which  was  evidently  within  the  shelter  of 
the  woods.  But  they  had  hardly  reached  the  building  when 
their  ears  were  saluted  by  the  crack  of  a  rifle,  followed  by  a  yell 
as  blood-curdling  as  an  Apache  war-cry.  They  sprang  into  their 
saddles;  the  horses,  startled  by  the  "Kebel  yell,"  needed  no 
spurring,  but  were  oif  at  once.  Over  fences,  fallen  trees  and  deep 
trenches  they  went,  neither  horse  nor  rider  caring  much  how 
rough  a  road  it  might  be.  Now,  and  now  again,  came  a  shot 
speeding  after  them ;  but  their  rough  road  served  them  well,  for 
not  a  ball  hit. 

They  had  nearly  reached  the  boundary  of  the  farm ;  yonder 
was  the  snake  fence  that  separated  it  from  the  public  road  ;  only 
a  few  bounds  more  of  their  trusty  steeds  and  they  would  be  upon 
the  highway,  and  bound  straight  for  camp.  Once  upon  a  good 
road,  their  horses,  they  knew,  would  make  good  time,  and  could 
easily  distance  the  average  cavalry  horse.  But  the  fence  was 
overgrown  with  vines,  and  in  the  corner  grew  high  weeds — 
withered  now,  but  still  thick  enough  to  be  an  excellent  shelter 


244 


A  Pair  of  Foragers. 


for  the  two  Confederates  who  now  started  up  directly  in  front 
of  them  with  a  demand  for  their  surrender. 

The  Federals,  however,  had  no  notion  of  being  captured; 
Eogers  drew  his  sabre  quick  as  thought,  and  at  the  first  pass  laid 
upon  the  shoulder  of  the  foremost  Confederate.  The  other  Fed 
eral,  whose  name  has  not  been  recorded,  unslung  his  carbine  and 
took  hasty  aim  at  the  second  Confederate,  who  was  sighting  his 
own  gun.  The  two  reports  seemed  blended  in  one,  but  the  Con 
federate's  ball  passed  harmlessly  onward,  just  grazing  his  oppo 
nent's  cheek;  the  Federal's,  although  more  hastily  aimed,  went 


Quick  Work. 

true  home  ;  it  pierced  the  brain  of  the  Southerner,  who  fell  with 
out  a  groan  on  the  dead  grass  at  the  roadside. 

Hardly  two  minutes  had  been  occupied  in  this  little  skirmish, 
but  even  that  short  time  was  enough  to  enhance  their  danger. 
Fast  and  furiously  behind  them  came  the  clatter  of  hoofs;  there 
was  a  force  of  at  least  twenty  in  hot  pursuit.  The  fence  was 
cleared  ;  the  two  Federals  set  spurs  to  their  horses  and  rode,  if 
not  for  their  lives,  at  least  for  their  liberty.  Tht  chase  was  a 
close  one,  and  the  Confederates,  relying  upon  their  superior  num 
bers,  did  not  fire  a  shot;  preferring  to  take  the  two  men  alive. 
Onward,  onward,  at  their  utmost  speed,  they  rode;  and  stead- 


A  Pair  of  Foragers.  245 

ily,  though  slowly,  the  pursuers  gained  upon  the  pursued.  They 
were  not  fifty  yards  apart  when  the  Federals  saw  they  were 
safe;  yonder  were  the  pickets.  Bising  in  their  saddles,  they 
turned  partly  around,  and  waving  their  caps,  cheered  defiantly. 
The  Confederates  understood  the  meaning;  they  dared  not  ven 
ture  nearer  the  camp  ;  and  with  a  few  parting  shots,  sent  at  ran 
dom,  they  wheeled  their  horses  and  returned  to  the  shelter  of 
the  pine  woods. 

The  two  Federals  had  hoped  to  slip  into  camp  unobserved  as 
they  had  left  it;  but  the  condition  of  their  horses  told  the  tale 
of  hard  riding  and  the  colonel  demanded  to  know  where  they 
had  been.  Evade  the  question  they  could  not,  answer  they 
must.  Hearing  their  story,  the  officer  concluded  that  the  more 
rapidly  the  force  moved  on,  the  better,  and  gave  orders  accord 
ingly  to  proceed  to  the  main  camp  by  a  road  different  from  that 
by  which  they  had  advanced.  They  had  not  proceeded  three 
miles  before  an  attack  was  made  on  the  advance  guard.  Learn 
ing  from  a  prisoner  that  the  Confederates  had  a  large  force,  the 
Federal  commander  gave  the  order  to  retreat;  but  hardly  had 
the  retrograde  movement  begun  when  the  rear  was  attacked  by 
nine  hundred  Confederate  cavalry. 

It  was  with  difficulty  that  this  force  was  kept  at  bay  long 
enough  for  the  main  body  of  the  Federals  to  get  out  of  range ; 
but  the  task  was  accomplished  with  but  slight  loss;  for,  if  we 
may  believe  the  veracious  historian,  the  nameless  trooper  who 
took  breakfast  at  the  farmhouse,  the  Federals  did  not  linger  un 
necessarily  on  the  road.  Perhaps  the  Confederates  had  been 
lying  in  wait  for  this  force  ;  but  certainly  they  would  not  have 
discovered  so  exactly  and  with  so  little  trouble  the  camp  and 
the  route  of  the  Federals  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  two  who  pre 
ferred  bacon  and  eggs  and  corn-bread  to  hard-tack  and  mess-pork. 


RESCUING  A  COMRADE. 

Infantry  Curiosity — Cavalry  Disgust — Moral  of  the  Story — Attack  on  the  Train — 
The  Charge — Kepulsed — Harper's  Perilous  Position — A  Generous  Offer — A 
"Warm  Meeting — Safe — A  Close  Shave — A  Frank  Confession — A  Second 
Charge,  and  its  Eesult. 

riTlHE  story  goes,  that  some  twenty  odd  years  ago,  or  there- 

I  abouts,  a  Confederate  trooper  was  hailed  by  a  lounging 
infantryman  with  : 

"  Mister,  did  you  ever  see  a  Yankee  ?" 

The  cavalryman,  somewhat  affronted  at  the  question,  answer 
ed  curtly  in  the  affirmative. 

"Did  he  have  on  a  blue  coat?"  continued  the  questioner, 
drawl  ingly. 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply,  still  shorter. 

"  Did  you  stop  to  look  at  him  ?"  was  the  next  query,  doubtful 
in  tone. 

"  Yes,"  with  something  that  sounded  suspiciously  like  an  oath. 

The  first  soldier's  face  expressed  the  most  affectionate  interest 
as  he  slowly  drew  himself  up  with  a  deep  breath  of  surprise,  and 
drawled  out: 

"Mister,  will  you  please  tell  me  if  your  spurs  were  broke  or 
your  horse  was  lame  ?  Which  was  it  ?" 

We  regret  to  say  that  the  trooper's  reply  is  not  on  record  ; 
although  the  regret  is  somewhat  tempered  by  the  reflection  that 
perhaps  it  was  not  altogether  fit  for  "  ears  polite."  But  incom 
plete  as  it  is,  the  story  shows  the  estimation  in  which  the  in 
fantry  too  often  held  the  cavalry.  The  bulk  of  the  fighting  was 
done  by  the  former,  as  they  justly  claimed ;  but  they  forgot  that 
there  was  something  to  be  done  besides  fighting  great  battles; 
246 


248 


Rescuing  a  Comrade. 


Rescuing  a  Comrade. 


249 


Rescuing  a  Comrade.  251 

they  must  be  won;  and  in  order  to  win  them,  sleepless  vigilance 
on  the  part  of  the  much  despised  cavalry  was  necessary,,  Much 
of  the  depreciation,  of  course,  arose  from  jealousy  of  the  troop 
er's  easier  way  of  getting  over  the. ground  in  a  long  march;  the 
remainder  originated  in  the  feeling  we  have  already  described. 

Of  course,  in  a  collection  of  such  stories  of  adventure  as  the 
present,  the  services  of  the  cavalry  are  not  likely  to  be  viewed 
with  an  infantry  critic's  eye  ;  indeed,  the  mounted  men  had  so 
much  greater  opportunity  for  seeing  service  that  included  dar 
ing  attempts  and  hairbreadth  escapes,  that  their  importance  is 
apt  to  appear  overrated.  The  cavalry  is  the  comet  that  flashes 
across  the  sky,  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  all  while  it  lasts; 
while  the  infantry  may  be  compared  to  the  stars  that  shine  stead 
ily  all  the  time,  whether  there  are  comets  or  not.  At  the  very 
mention  of  the  word  cavalry,  however,  what  stirring  pictures 
throng  the  brain  !  The  clank  of  sabre  and  spur,  the  sound  of 
hoofs  along  the  hard  road,  are  the  overture  to  the  play ;  the  cur 
tain  rises,  and  we  see  upon  the  stage  the  forms  of  Sheridan  and 
Stuart,  of  Ctister  and  Wheeler,  often  apparently  assuming  ro 
mantic  shapes  of  knights  of  the  olden  days  of  chivalry. 

But  to  leave  fancy,  and  come  down  to  history;  not  the  grave 
Itnd  solemn  lady  who  presides  over  the  pages  ofRollin  and 
H-ibbon  and  Dryasdust,  but  the  genial  creature  who,  in  the  guise 
of  an  old  soldier,  sits  by  our  fireside,  with  interminable  stories 
of  what  happened  to  him  and  his  comrades  during  "the  War." 

"  And,  tales  of  sorrow  done, 
Shoulders  his  crutch  and  shows  how  fields  were  won." 

It  was  during  the  progress  of  the  battle  known  by  the  name  of 
Stone  River  or  Murfreesboro',  commencing  December  31,  1862, 
and  lasting  five  days  ;  an  action  which  ended  most  disastrously 
for  the  Confederates,  who  were  compelled  to  evacuate  the  city 
from  which  the  battle  has  taken  one  of  its  names.  But  before  the 
result  was  yet  decided,  while  the  fate  of  the  armies  still  hung  in 
the  balance,  Gen.  Wheeler  was  sent  to  the  rear  of  the  Federal 
forces,  to  annoy  them  by  attacks  upon  their  wagon  trains.  A 
long  train  was  at  Lavergne,  and  upon  this  he  intended  to  make 
a  furious  assault.  Unfortunately  for  his  plans,  however,  his 
presence  in  the  vicinity  was  ascertained,  and  his  purpose  sus 
pected  by  the  Federal  general,  who  immediately  ordered  the 
usual  guard  of  the  train  to  be  reinforced  by  a  considerable  body 
of  infantry.  No  time  was  lost  in  preparing  for  defense,  and  when 


252  Rescuing  a  Comrade. 

the  Confederates  came  up  they  found  the  wagons  corraled,  and 
the  blue-coated  infantry  ready  for  business. 

Wheeler,  however,  was  determined  to  have  those  wagons  for 
the  materials  fora  bonfire;  his  men  were  equally  determined. 
When,  therefore,  they  received  the  order  to  charge  and  capture 
the  wagons,  there  was  no  hesitation,  no  hanging  back.  Not  a 
man  had  straggled  on  the  way,  and  the  whole  command  dashed 
over  the  uneven  ground  like  so  many  birds  on  the  wing.  But,  as 
often  happened  during  the  War,  courage  upon  the  one  side  was 
of  no  avail,  because  met  by  equal  courage  on  the  other.  The 
great  American  eagle  may  carry  a  lamb  to  its  eyrie,  but  itwould 
probably  find  a  buffalo  somewhat  unmanageable.  Such  was  the 
state  of  aifairs  at  Lavergne,  this  January  day  in  1863.  The  Con 
federates  charged  bravely  enough,  but  the  Federals  stood  their 
ground,  and  repulsed  the  charge.  It  seemed  like  the  old  co 
nundrum — "If  an  irresistible  body  strike  an  immovable  body, 
which  will  give  way  ?"  Cavalry  cannot  fight  at  a  stand,  as  in 
fantry  can;  it  must  either  advance  or  retreat;  and  in  this  case, 
being  unable  to  do  the  former,  it  did  the  latter,  retiring  a  short 
distance  to  re-collect  its  strength  for  a  second  assault. 

When  the  cavalry  was  within  thirty  paces  of  the  enemy,  one 
of  them,  Joe  Harper  by  name,  but  better  known  in  the  command 
as  Wisham,  lost  his  horse  by  one  of  the  misfortunes  of  war.  As 
his  comrades  rode  back,  he  was  of  course  left  behind,  and  in  a 
most  dangerous  position,  exposed  to  the  full  fire  of  the  enemy. 
But  no  matter  how  brave  a  man  may  be,  when  he  knows  that  he 
is  the  mark  for  forty  or  fifty  carbines  at  the  distance  of  thirty 
paces,  his  instinct  leads  him  to  find  a  shelter;  Harper's  position 
was  even  worse  than  the  case  we  have  stated,  for  many  more 
pieces  were  aimed  in  his  direction.  Hardly  had  his  horse  roll 
ed  to  the  ground,  then,  before  he  realized  the  situation,  and  had 
decided  upon  his  course  of  action.  There  was  a  small  tree  near 
by,  and  behind  that  he  sprang  for  shelter.  This,  however,  did 
not  make  matters  much  better;  it  was  literally  a  checkmate, for 
he  could  not  move  without  being  taken,  not  by  knight  or  castle, 
but  by  one  of  the  innumerable  bullets  that  might  be  called  pawns. 

The  keen-eyed  Federals  had  seen  his  efforts  to  shelter  him 
self,  and  were  now  peppering  the  tree  with  shot.  The  trunk 
was  barely  large  enough  to  conceal  his  body  from  view;  the 
slightest  swerving  to  either  side  exposed  him  to  their  sight. 
Nothing  could  be  hoped,  of  course,  from  the  branches,  which  in 


Rescuing  a  Comrade.  253 

summertime  might  have  concealed  him  yet  more  effectually  ;  the 
only  indication  he  had  that  there  were  really  limbs  to  the  tree 
was  the  occasional  crack  and  fall  of  a  bough  as  a  bullet  struck  it. 
The  trunk  of  the  tree  was  soon  deeply  indented  in  many  places 
by  the  balls  which  had  buried  themselves  in  the  wood ;  how  soon 
one  might  penetrate  to  him,  he  could  not  tell.  Yet,  as  time  went 
on,  and  a  fresh  volley  came  past  every  few  seconds,  he  could 
see  no  chance  of  escape;  indeed,  as  he  thought  it  over,  the  prob 
abilities  of  such  an  ending  grew  "  small  by  degrees  and  beauti 
fully  less."  Doubtful  visions  of  Northern  prisons  danced  before 
his  eyes  as  the  bullets  whistled  by. 

When  we  spell  out,  slowly  and  painfully,  in  our  school-days, 
the  classical  stories  of  friendship,  we  think  it  wonderful  that 
men  should  entertain  so  much  affection  for  each  other;  but  then 
that  was  two  or  three  thousand  years  ago.  Has  the  world,  has 
human  nature  changed  since  ?  "  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than 
this,  that  he  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friend;"  and  sometimes, 
amid  all  the  horrors  of  warfare,  the  worst  of  all  strifes — a  civil 
war,  when  the  ties  of  blood  are  forgotten,  when  brother  is  pitted 
against  brother,  father  against  son — we  see  beautiful  instances 
of  a  "  love  passing  that  of  woman  "  shining  out  from  the  dark 
and  bloody  background.  In  recalling  the  friendship  of  Orestes 
and  Pylades,  of  Damon  and  Pythias,  of  David  and  Jonathan,  we 
have  not  wandered  far  from  the  cavalryman  sheltered  behind 
that  lonely  tree  at  Lavergne,  with  the  enemy's  bullets  whistling 
around  him. 

A  friend  and  messmate,  familiarly  known  as  "  Tom"  Gran,  or 
more  familiarly  still,  as  "Heck,"  was  among  the  troopers  who 
had  retreated.  He  saw  the  peril  of  his  friend,  and  instantly  re 
solved  to  do  all  he  could  to  save  him.  True,  the  man  in  danger 
might  be  secure  when  the  whole  Confederate  line  advanced,  but 
Heck  did  not  know  when  that  would  be,  and  had  no  mind  to 
wait  for  that  time. 

"Hello,  Wisham!"  he  called,  from  his  place  in  the  group  of 
troopers. 

"  Hello,  Heck  !"  came  the  answer,  somewhat  dolefully,  from 
the  tree. 

"  If  I  come  to  you,  will  you  meet  me  ?" 

"I  will,"  came  the  answer,  with  as  much  emphasis  as  the  dis 
tance  would  permit. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  this  one  tree  was  the  only  shelter 


254  Rescuing  a  Comraae. 

between  the  Confederates  and  the  Federals,  that  the  formerwere 
barely  out  of  range,  and  that  Gan  would  have  to  ride  nearly  the 
whole  distance  exposed  to  the  guns  of  the  entire  force  of  Feder 
als.  The  volleys,  he  knew  would  come  with  hardly  any  inter 
mission,  for  the  Boys  in  Blue  were  armed  with. those  repeating 
carbines  which  one  observing  Reb  had  characterized  as  "  them 
guns  you  load  on  Sunday  and  fire  all  the  week."  But  the  gal 
lant  Tennesseean  thought  only  of  saving  his  friend  ;  and  putting 
spurs  to  his  horse,  dashed  forward. 

ISTo  sooner  was  his  intention  to  leave  the  ranks  perceived  by 
the  enemy  than  the  carbines  were  leveled,  and  a  perfect  storm 
of  shot  greeted  his  advance.  It  could  hardly  be  called  "  Hail  to 
the  chief  who  in  triumph  advances,"  because  he  was  not  a  chief 
— "only  a  private" — but  the  bullets  certainly  came  like  hail,  or 
rain,  or  anything  else  of  the  kind  you  please.  When  the  Feds 
saw  what  the  whole  plan  was,  as  Uiey  did  when  Wisham  left  the 
shelter  of  his  tree,  they  divided  their  attentions  pretty  evenly 
between  the  two  ;  certainly,  neither  had  reason  to  complain  of 
being  neglected. 

Upon  leaving  his  post  of  vantage  behind  the  tree-trunk, 
Wisham  took  a  zigzag  course,  in  order  that  he  might  the  more 
surely  avoid  these  messengers  from  the  enemy;  but  Gan  rode 
straight  onward,  trusting  in  the  speed  of  his  horse  to  carry  him 
safely  through  to  his  friendo 

Wisham  had  run  fully  one  hundred  yards,  measured  in  a 
straight  line,  before  he  met  his  friend  and  rescuer;  both  being 
meanwhile  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  but  neither  having 
been  hit.  Then  ensued  a  scene  which,  for  the  activity  and  strength 
displayed,  might  have  graced  a  tournament.  As  Gan,  with  one 
hand  upon  the  rein,  wheeled  his  horse,  he  extended  the  other  to 
Harper;  and  before  the  animal's  head  was  once  more  towards 
the  Confederate  line,  the  latter  had,  with  the  slight  help  of  his 
friend's  hand,  swung  himself  up  behind  the  saddle.  There  was 
not  even  a  momentary  halt  required  for  this  action ;  and  they 
had  hardly  met  before  they  were  galloping  at  full  speed  to 
their  friends. 

As  the  success  of  the  daring  attempt  became  evident,  there 
was  intense  excitement  among  the  Confederates,  and  cheer  after 
cheer  went  up — not  the  wild  "Bebel  yell  "  which  was  Stonewall 
Jackson's  favorite  music,  but  deep  and  hearty  cheers.  Mean 
while,  the  Federals  did  not  relax  their  attentions,  but  continued 


Rescuing  a  Comrade. 


255 


to  waste  powder  and  shot  upon  the  two  friends,  who  seemed  to 
bear  the  charmed  lives  which,  in  the  old  classical  days,  they  would 
have  been  said  to  possess.  Thus  they  reached  their  friends,  and 
Wisham  was  speedily  provided  with  a  horse  j  for  though  he  had 
been  endangered  by  the  loss  of  his  steed,  many  of  his  comrades 
had  been  less  fortunate;  their  horses  had  returned  with  the  re 
pulsed  cavalry,  riderless.  Eiding  up  alongside  of  Gan,  after 
the  first  wave  of  gratitude  had  somewhat  subsided,  he  said  : 


Rescuing  a  Comrade. 

"  Heck,  old  boy,  that  was  a  close  shave,  wasn't  it  ?" 

"Yes,  Wisham,"  answered  Heck,  soberly,  "it  was  a  mighty 

close  shave." 

A  moment  was  passed  in  silence,  and  then  Heck  asked  : 

"  What's  the  matter,  Wisham  ?    What  makes  you  so  quiet?" 

"I  was  just  thinking  of  my  feelings  when  we  were  both  on  that 

horse,  with  the  Yanks  peppering  us." 
"  How'd  you  feel  ?   Scared  ?" 
"Well  I  don't  know  if  you'd  call  it  scared  or  not;  but  I  just 

felt  like,  without  wishing  you  any  harm,  I'd  like  mighty  well  to 

be  the  one  in  the  saddle  with  some  other  fellow  behind." 


SECRET  SERVICE. 

A  Mysterious  Order — The  Man  Needed — Explanation  of  the  Order — Disappear 
ance  of  the  Soldier — Sudden  Appearance  of  the  Quaker — Interviewing  the 
Picket — Distributing  Tracts  and  Examining  Fortifications — An  Innocent  Note 
— With  Much  Meaning — An  Unlucky  Meeting — The  Quaker  Disappears— 
The  Kind  of  Tracts  He  Meant— Suspicions  Verified — News  to  Gen.  Bragg — A 
Fine  Old  Country  Gentleman — And  Equally  Fine  Old  "Whisky— Gen.  Bragg's 
Intentions — Tom  Sees  the  Joke — Delay — Dangerous  Proximity — Allaying  Sus 
picions — A  Narrow  Escape — A  Second  Mysterious  Order. 

GENERAL  ORDERS,  No. . 

Captain  Carter,  — th  Indiana  Volunteers,  is  herehy  relieved  from  his 
command  indefinitely,  and  will  report  at  these  headquarters  immediately. 
By  order  of  Maj.-Gen.  Kosecrans. 

LIEUT.-COL.  C.  GODDARD,  A.  A.  G." 

SUCH  was  the  order  read  to  the  Indiana  regiment  above 
mentioned,  on  dress  parade,  one  day  in  January,  1863. 
No  one  could  tell  what  it  meant;  on  the  face  of  it,  it  implied  dis 
grace,  or  censure  at  least ;  yet  in  what  had  punishment  been  de 
served  by  the  gallant  officer  so  frequently  praised  by  his  supe 
riors,  so  highly  esteemed  by  his  brother  officers,  so  idolized  by 
his  men  ?  As  the  soldiers  returned  to  their  quarters,  all  were 
busily  conjecturing  the  reason  for  issuing  such  an  order;  Cap 
tain  Carter  in  as  much  perplexity  as  any  one.  He  went  to  his 
tent,  however,  and  putting  off  his  accoutrements,  set  out  for 
headquarters. 

These  were  in  a  private  mansion  in  what  had  been  the  most 
aristocratic  part  of  Murfreesboro ;  but  many  of  the  inhabitants 
had  deserted  their  residences  at  the  approach  of  the  Federal 
armyj  so  that  it  was  through  a  wilderness  of  houses,  either  un 
occupied  or  filled  with  the  soldiery,  that  our  gallant  captain 

256 


Secret  Service.  257 

took  his  way.  Stopping  before  one  of  those  substantial  brick 
double  houses,  with  a  piazza  running  along  the  whole  front,  up 
stairs  and  down,  that  always  appears  the  embodiment  of  solid 
comfort,  he  made  his  way,  duly  announced  by  the  orderly,  to  a 
room  in  the  second  story,  whose  French  windows  opened  on  the 
piazza.  Before  the  blazing  fire  sat  an  officer  in  undress  uni 
form,  whose  rank  was  indicated  only  by  the  buttons  of  his  coat 
being  grouped  in  threes.  As  Captain  Carter  was  announced, 
this  officer  arose,  and  advancing  with  a  pleasant  smile  that  dissi 
pated  all  the  anxiety  of  the  subordinate,  said  : 

"  This  is  Capt.  Carter,  of  the  — th  Indiana  Volunteers  ?" 
"  It  is,  sir." 

"  You  received  orders  this  evening  to  report  immediately  ?" 
"  Yes,  sir,  and  I  have  done  so." 

"  Sit  down,  sir.  You  see,  I  have  for  some  time  been  in  want 
of  a  man  possessed  of  certain  qualities  that  would  render  him  fit 
for  a  very  important  service.  Courage  is  needed,  but  that  is  not 
all;  many  a  man  in  the  army  would  do.  There  must  be  a  con 
siderable  degree  of  judgment  and  at  the  same  time  rapidity  of 
thought  and  combination.  Gen.  Thomas  has  been  on  the  out 
look  for  some  one  possessing  these  qualities,  and  has  selected 
you  for  the  purpose.  I  need  not  say  that  I  have  every  con 
fidence  in  Gen.  Thomas'  judgment.  It  will  be  a  mission  of  some 
danger  and  difficulty — will  you  undertake  it?" 

"  I  will  do  anything  to  further  the  cause  of  which  I  am  a  sworn 
soldier.  It  is  connected  with  the  secret  service,  I  suppose,  sir?" 
"  Yes.  Please  make  your  arrangements  for  remaining  here 
to-night,  sending  to  your  quarters  for  anything  you  may  need. 
Do  so  now,  and  then  I  will  give  you  the  full  details  of  the  plan 
which  I  wish  you  to  execute." 

When  Capt.  Carter,  whose  black  servant  had  accompanied 
him  to  headquarters,  had  made  all  the  arrangements  indicated 
by  the  general,  he  again  reported  for  instructions.  The  general 
was  seated  before  a  large  table,  on  which  was  spread  a  map  of 
the  surrounding  country. 

"  You  see,  Captain  Carter,  the  two  armies  form  nearly  a  semi 
circle.  The  Eebel  right  is  at  Hartsville,  here  on  the  Cumber 
land,  above  Nashville,  and  the  left  rests  on  the  shoals  below. 
Gen.  Bragg's  headquarters  are  at  Tullahomaand  Gen.  YanDorn 
is  at  Spring  Hill.  I  want  you  to  go  to  Van  Dorn's  headquar 
ters  first,  then  to  Bragg's,  and  ascertain  the  numbers,  arms, 


258  Secret  Service. 

fortifications,  efficiency  and  probable  movements  of  their  troops/' 

Such  was  the  brief  outline  of  his  duty,  illustrated,  as  the  gen 
eral  spoke,  by  the  use  of  the  map.  After  making  sure  that  the 
main  points  of  the  expedition  were  clear  in  the  mind  of  his  lis 
tener,  he  proceeded  to  give  various  minute  directions,  and  at  a 
late  hour,  dismissed  him,  with  instructions  to  set  out  early  in  the 
morning. 

"  But  let  me  impress  upon  you,  Captain,  the  necessity  for  ex* 
treme  caution;  not  only  among  persons  whom  we  would  nat 
urally  suspect,  but  even  among  friends.  Hold  no  communica 
tion  whatever  with  any  one  in  camp  regarding  this  expedition. 
Much  of  the  efficiency  of  the  secret  service  is  lost,  if  those  com 
posing  it  are  known.  Is  your  servant  entirely  reliable?" 

"  Perfectly,  sir  ;  he  is  devoted  to  me.  You  need  have  no  fears 
as  to  him." 

"  Then  he  had  better,  as  we  arranged  at  first,  accompany  you; 
that  plan,  besides,  would  keep  him  from  talking  to  his  fellows 
during  your  absence,  if  he  were  so  disposed." 

It  was  a  day  or  so  after  that,  and  Captain  Carter  had  not  been 
seen  about  camp  since  the  mysterious  order  was  issued.  For  all 
that  his  men  knew,  the  commanding  general  might  have  had 
him  served  up  for  supper,  so  completely  had  he  disappeared 
from  his  usual  haunts.  But  riding  leisurely  along  from  a  cer 
tain  staunch  Union  man's  house  near  town,  there  were  two  men, 
in  one  of  whom  a  keen  observer  might  have  detected  some  faint 
resemblance  to  the  man  who  had  disappeared;  though  the  dif 
ference  in  dress  and  manner  and  age  were  sufficient  to  reassure 
the  most  suspicious. 

This  was  a  man  clad  in  the  quaint  garb  of  a  Quaker,  and  seem 
ingly,  from  the  peaceful  expression  of  his  countenance,  intent 
on  anything  but  war.  His  grizzled  locks  were  longer  than  usu 
ally  seen,  certainly  much  longer  than  Capt.  Carter's  dark  hair, 
and  though  the  close-buttoned  vest  had  something  of  a  resem 
blance,  in  that  respect,  to  a  military  coat,  its  hue  was  sufficient 
to  allay  distrust.  His  servant  or  companion,  whichever  the 
Society  might  have  been  pleased  to  call  him,  seemed  a  shadow 
of  himself;  so  exactly  did  the  demure  peacefulness  of  the  dusky 
face  imitate  the  expression  of  the  fairer  one,  so  exactly  was  his 
dress  patterned  after  that  of  the  white  man.  "  A  merciful  man 
is  merciful  to  his  beast,"  and  the  animals  which  the  two  Quakers 
bestrode  certainly  illustrated  this;  that  of  the  white  man  was  a 


Secret  Service.  259 

spirited  bay  that,  possessed  by  a  more  worldly  man,  might  have 
made  an  enviable  record  on  the  race-track;  and  that  of  the  ne 
gro,  though  a  stouter,  heavier  animal  of  less  speed,  was  the 
very  model  of  a  well-kept,  stout  roadster.  The  pair  rode  sedately 
onward,  until  challenged  by  a  vidette  of  the  Confederates, 

"  Halt !  who  comes  there  ?" 

"  Friends  we  claim  to  be  to  all.     Is  thee  a  man  of  war  ?" 

"Nary  ship,  nor  sailor  neither." 

"  Isn't  thee  one  of  the  fighting  men  of  the  South?" 

"  Well,  I  rather  reckon  so,  if  that's  what  you  mean.  "What  do 
you  want,  Broadbrim  ?" 

"  Does  thee  know  another  man  of  war,  called  Van  Dorn?" 

"I  reckon  I  do,"  replied  the  soldier  emphatically,  and  smiling 
at  the  simplicity  of  the  Quaker's  speech;  "  but  you'd  better  be 
careful  how  you  talk  that  way  about  him.  The  old  cuss  is  apt  to 
be  a  little  particular  about  having  his  handle  to  his  name." 

"I  scarcely  understand  thee,  friend,  but  thy  face  appears  friend 
ly  and  inclined  to  peace  to  me  and  mine.  Can  thee  direct  me  to 
the  place  where  friend  Yan  Dorn  tarrieth  at  this  present?" 

"Headquarters?  O  yes;  let  me  just  call  the  Corporal  of  the 
Guard." 

That  officer  being  duly  summoned,  the  innocent  old  Quaker 
and  his  dusky  attendant  were  duly  directed  to  the  general's 
headquarters,  and  were  soon  on  their  way  thither. 

"Well?"  asked  Gen.  Van  Dorn,  raising  his  eyes  from  the 
maps  and  charts  over  which  he  had  been  bending,  as  his  orderly 
entered  the  room. 

"There's an  old  Quaker  gentleman  out  there,  General,  whe 
says  he  has  urgent  business  with  you." 

"Show  him  in." 

The  Quaker  was  ushered  into  the  apartment. 

"  Thee  is  the  friend  Yan  Dorn  that  is  called  General  ?" 

"  What  is  your  business  with  me,  sir?" 

"Unworthy  vessel  as  I  am  to  be  made  of  such  importance,  I 
am  the  one  chosen  by  the  Society  of  which  I  am  an  humble  mem 
ber  to  disseminate  spiritual  comfort  and  counsel  among  the  mis 
'  guided  men  who  are  gathered  around  thee,  to  slay  their  breth 
ren." 

"Humph!"  ejaculated  the  soldier;  with  as  much  fierceness  as 
could  be  thrown  into  that  simple  sound. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they  have  taken  deadly  weap 
17 


260 


Secret  Service. 


ons  into  their  hands,  they  have  not  been  so  sinful  in  so  doing 
as  these  same  brethen  who  have  begun  the  contest  and  have  in 
vaded  the  South;  whereas  the  men  of  the  South  would  be  con 
tent  to  live  in  peace  if  the  men  of  the  North  would  but  return  to 
their  homes." 

"  Humph  !"  a  little  more  mildly. 

"  Nevertheless,  it  is  sinful  for  them  so  to  resist  even  oppression, 
inasmuch  as  all  men  are  commanded  to  live  in  peace  and  brother 
hood;  but  they  are  fellow-creatures,  and  we  would  not  willingly 

see  them  led  forth  to  slaugh 
ter  without  some  effort  to 
comfort  and  strengthen  their 
spirits." 

"What  is  it  you  want,  sir  ?" 
asked  the  general,  his  eyes 
turning  towards  his  maps 
again. 

"Permission  to  distribute 
among  the  men  that  follow 
thee  such  tracts  and  other 
matters  of  the  kind  as  I  or  my 
friends  may  have  been  able  to 
purchase  or  otherwise  pro- 


Gen.  Earl   Van  Dorn. 


cure. 


"  Have  you  any  letters  of  introduction  ?" 

"Yea,  verily,  for  I  had  heard  that  thee  was  a  man  of  blood, 
and  did  not  readily  believe  thy  fellow-men  •  fearing  that  having 
taken  the  sword,  thee  should  perish  by  the  sword." 

"Let  me  see  them,  please." 

The  Quaker  produced  a  formidable  packet  and  delivered  it  to 
the  soldier;  who,  finding  the  writers  as  prolix  as  the  speaker, 
glanced  over  one  or  two,  and  turned  to  his  desk. 

"  What  is  your  name  ?" 

"Ezra  Thurston." 

"Well,  Mr.  Thurston,  here  is  a  pass  which  will  enable  you  to 
come  and  go  at  will,  with  any  supplies  you  may  wish  to  bring 
into  camp." 

As  the  Quaker  left  the  room,  the  general's  face  relaxed  into  a 
smile  at  the  character  of  the  visitor ;  but  he  soon  settled  himself 
to  his  papers  again,  dismissing  the  whole  matter  from  his  mind 
as  unworthy  of  further  thought.  The  Quaker,  for  the  present 


Secret  Service* 


261 


at  least,  had  no  need  to  make  use  of  the  pass,  for  in  his  saddle 
bags  and  capacious  pockets  were  stored  a  goodly  quantity  of 
tracts  and  religious  papers.  He  made  his  way  about  the  camp, 
with  a  pleasant  word  for  all;  a  gentle  rebuke  for  the  curses  that 
fell  upon  his  ear,  although  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  these 
were  but  few ;  for  roughened  as  they  were  by  the  soldier-life, 
the  men,  looking  at  him  with  a  sort  of  good-humored  smile,  for 
the  most  part  spoke  as  they  might  have  spoken  in  the  presence 
of  a  little  child. 
Ezra  Thurston  certainly  did  not  slight  his  work;  not  only 


Van  Dorn  and  the  Quaker. 

among  the  well,  but  among  the  sick  and  wounded,  he  took  his 
way,  followed  faithfully  by  his  sable  companion.  He  seemed 
specially  anxious  that  no  part  of  the  camp  should  miss  his 
friendly  ministrations,  and  trudged  patiently  about  the  forts 
and  fortifications  to  insure  that  none  should  be  neglected.  Nor 
were  his  offices  purely  spiritual  ;  for  one  wounded  man  he  wrote 
a  letter,  for  which  the  overtaxed  nurse  could  not  find  time;  to 
another  impecunious  individual  he  gave  money;  bestowing  such 
petty  favors  where  he  saw  that  they  were  desired,  until  the  sol 
diers  were  ready  to  swear  he  was  a  regular  brick,  had  he  not 
gently  checked  them  with  the  injunction  : 
"  <  Swear  not  at  all/  friend." 


262  Secret  Service. 

So  the  day  passed  on ;  evening  was  approaching,  and  the 
day's  work  was  done.  Friend  Thurston  had  seated  himself  in  a 
retired  angle  of  the  fortifications  to  note  in  his  substantial  mem- 
erandum  book  the  quantity  of  religious  reading  matter  of  vari 
ous  kinds,  which  he  could  distribute  to  advantage  among  the  sol 
diers.  Some  of  the  articles,  to  be  sure,  were  rather  indicative 
of  bodily  than  spiritual  comforts,  but,  as  we  have  seen,  his  min 
istrations  were  practical. ^  This  was  what  he  wrote: 

"2  overcoats  and  6  hats;  37  shirts;  3,200  tracts— 2,000  for 
the  unconverted,  at  Spring  Hill." 

Strangely  enough,  Gen.  Eosecrans,  to  whom  Capt.  Carter's 
colored  servant  delivered  this,  shortly  afterward,  read  it  thus: 

"Two  forts  of  six  guns  each;  thirty-seven  additional  guns; 
three  thousand  two  hundred  troops,  two  thousand  of  which  are 
cavalry,  at  Spring  Hill."  • 

But  to  go  back  to  the  Confederate  camp.  The  Quaker,  Ezra 
Thurston,  was  busily  making  that  innocent  memorandum  which 
was  to  be  so  strangely  perverted,  when  a  soldier,  whose  uniform 
and  decorations  denoted  that  he  held  the  rank  of  lieutenant, 
came  towards  him.  Tbe  usual  greetings  were  exchanged,  in  the 
bluff,  hearty  tone  of  the  soldier,  and  the  even,  peaceful  one  of 
the  man  of  peace. 

" I  think  I  have  met  you  before  this,  sir,  haven't  I?" 

"It  can  hardly  be  so,  friend;  I  lead  a  secluded  life  among  the 
members  of  the  Society,  and  rarely  mingle  with  the  world." 

"  Haven't  you  been  in  camp  before,  sir?  Maybe  I  saw  you 
then." 

"Nay,  friend,  this  is  the  first  time  that  duty  has  called  me  to 
the  dwelling  of  the  men  of  blood.  Thee  must  have  known  some 
one  whose  face  or  bearing  resembled  mine." 

"Well,  I  reckon  that  must  be  it;  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir." 

"  Thy  error  hath  given  no  offense,  nor  hath  it  done  me  injury, 
friend;  therefore  it  needs  no  pardon,"  answered  the  Quaker. 

The  soldier  turned  away  with  a  puzzled  look  upon  his  face; 
this  man's  appearance  was  so  familiar,  he  felt  sure  that  they 
must  have  met  before  ;  yet  there  was  something  so  strangely  in 
congruous  between  the  old  and  the  new  image  in  his  mind  that 
he  could  hardly  reconcile  them.  Thus  endeavoring  to  decide 
whether  or  not  the  Quaker  had  spoken  the  truth,  he  strode  away 
to  his  quarters. 

."Massa,  we'd  better  be  trablin',  shuah ;  dat  man  didn't  half- 


Secret  Service.  263 

way   belieb   you,    sah.      Dis   place  gettin'  too   hot,   shuah." 

"No,  I  don't  think  he  did  quite  believe  me,  and  no  wonder. 
I  remember  well  enough.  I  took  him  prisoner  at  Stone  river, 
but  he  got  away  again.  Fm  done,  now;  we'll  go  right  away." 
Eeturning  his  memorandum  book  to  his  pocket,  they  sought 
out  their  horses,  and  mounting,  rode  away;  Gen.  Yan  Dora's  pass 
answering  all  objections  which  the  sentinels  might  have  been 
prepared  to  raise.  They  rode  swiftly  onward  as  long  as  there 
was  no  house  in  sight,  slackening  their  speed  and  trotting  gent 
ly  where  there  were  signs  that  they  were  approaching  a  resi 
dence.  It  was  nearly  dark  when  they  reached  a  point  where  a 
road  that  was  little  more  than  a  bridle-path  through  the  woods 
joined  the  pike.  Turning  their  horses'  heads  to  pursue  this  by 
way,  they  were  soon  lost  to  view  among  the  trees.  Once  out 
of  sight  of  the  main  road,  the  natural  order  of  traveling  was  re 
versed,  the  servant  leading  the  way,  the  master  following,  for 
they  were  tolerably  sure  that  if  danger  should  threaten  them,  it 
would  come  from  the  rear. 

They  had  traveled  but  a  little  distance  in  this  manner  when 
they  came  to  the  edge  of  a  clearing,  in  which  a  log-house  was 
situated.  Arrived  at  this  point,  Capt.  Carter  (for  we  may  now 
drop  the  assumed  name  and  character  of  Ezra  Thurston,  the 
Quaker  missionary)  halted,  while  Tom,  dismounting,  went  for 
ward  to  reconnoiter;  having  previously  exchanged  the  outer 
garments  of  the  demure  cut  for  others  better  suited  to  his  gen 
uine  character.  Advancing  into  the  clearing,  he  paused  every 
moment,  almost,  to  peer  cautiously  around  him  ;  but  at  last  was 
so  well  satisfied  that  all  was  as  he  wished  it,  that  he  threw  a 
small  chip  against  the  window-pane.  In  response  to  this  signal, 
which  had  been  previously  arranged,  the  door  opened  and  a 
man,  issuing  from  it,  came  through  the  darkness  directly  to 
wards  the  spot  where  Tom  stood. 

"It's  all  safe/'  he  said;  "  where' s  Captain  Carter?" 
"He's  jist  back  in  de  woods  a  little  piece.     Is  it  all  right, 
sah  ?" 

"Yes,  I  tell  you  there's  nothing  at  all  wrong.  Go  call  him." 
Tom  trotted  off  obediently,  and  the  two  were  soon  safely 
housed,  warmed  and  fed.  The  night  having  passed,  the  colored 
man  set  off  on  his  errand  to  Murfreesboro,  it  being  nothing  else 
but  the  delivery  of  the  Quaker's  memorandum  to  Gen.  Eose- 
crans.  Whether  or  not  the  unconverted  at  Spring  Hill  ever  re- 


264  Secret  Service. 

ceived  the  two  thousand  tracts  which  Friend  Thurston  desired 
for  them,  history  docs  not,  in  so  many  words  relate;  but  the 
present  writer  leans  to  the  opinion  that  tracts  of  land,  seven  by 
two,  or  perhaps  a  few  larger  ones  in  joint  ownership,  were  what 
he  really  meant  to  give  them. 

Tom  returned  in  good  time,  and  once  more  changing  their 
clothes,  the  two  again  set  out.  This  time,  Capt.  Carter  appear 
ed  to  be  a  planter  of  some  means,  and  accustomed  (to  judge  by 
his  rubicund  face)  to  high  living  and  hard  drinking;  attended, 
of  course,  by  his  negro  servant,  who  was  carefully  costumed  for 
his  present  role.  The  adoption  of  this  second  disguise,  so  total 
ly  different  from  the  first,  which  had  been  successful,  will  at 
first  sight  appear  a  superfluous  caution ;  but  although  it  had 
been  provided  long  before  the  Confederate  lieutenant  half-rec 
ognized  the  Quaker,  the  sequel  proved  that  it  was  well  that  they 
had  done  so.  As  has  been  said,  the  Reb  was  not  more  than  half 
satisfied  with  the  assurances  of  Thurston,  and  went  to  his  quar 
ters  trying  to  recall  the  circumstances  under  which  he  had  seen 
that  face  before.  Again  and  again  he  tried  to  accept  the  Quak 
er's  words  as  true,  but  always  failed.  Half  an  hour,  perhaps 
more,  was  passed  thus,  when  suddenly  it  flashed  across  his  mind, 
and  he  sprang  to  his  feet  with  the  words  : 

"  It's  the  Yank  that  captured  me  at  Stone  Eiver !" 

It  may  well  be  believed  that  he  lost  no  time  in  communicating 
his  suspicions,  or  rather,  knowledge,  to  Gen.  Yan  Dorn.  It  was 
of  course,  at  once  apparent  the  guileless  Quaker  was  a  spy  in 
the  employ  of  the  Federal  general,  and  every  eifort  must  be 
made  to  prevent  his  return  to  that  officer.  The  lieutenant  who 
had  made  the  discovery  was  dispatched  with  a  force  to  scourthe 
woods  to  intercept  the  flight  of  the  fugitives,  for,  as  will  be  re 
membered,  they  had  left  the  camp  as  soon  as  they  perceived  the 
approach  of  danger.  Thus  the  Confederates  had  lost,  and  the 
Federals  had  gained  valuable  time,  which  the  latter  had  been 
enabled,  by  the  excellence  of  their  horses,  to  improve  to  the  ut 
most.  They  had  been  so  far  favored  by  the  delay  as  to  have 
reached  the  clearing  when  the  pursuers  set  out.  But  Yan  Dorn 
had  calculated  on  not  catching  the  spies,  and  had  dispatched  a 
courier  with  a  note  to  Gen.  Bragg,  warning  him  of  the  pretend 
ed  Quaker's  real  character. 

Gen.  Bragg  had  received  this  note  and  given  the  necessary 
orders  for  the  course  to  be  pursued  in  case  such  a  person  were 


Secret  Service.  265 

found  about  the  camp,  and  had  dismissed  the  whole  affair  from 
his  mind  until  he  should  have  attended  to  certain  other  matters 
of  immediate  importance,  when  "  Col.  Ashcroft"  was  announced 
as  wishing  earnestly  to  see  him.  The  orderly  was  directed  to 
admit  him,  and  Capt.  Carter  was  ushered  into  the  apartment. 

"I  live  near  Brandyville,  General,"  the  new-comer  explained 
after  the  usual  salutations  had  been  interchanged  ;  "  and  came 
down  to  see  if  you  couldn't  do  something  for  us;  the  Feds  are 
worrying  us  nearly  to  death  up  there." 

"Indeed!  In  what  way  ?"  inquired  the  general,  with  sympa 
thetic  concern  for  the  story  so  often  heard. 

"  Why,  they  drive  off  our  horses  and  cattle,  and  carry  oft 
every  bushel  of  grain  they  can  find.  Then  their  accursed  foraging, 
as  they  call  it,  is  nothing  more  than  theft,  sir,  theft.  Eggs,  and 
chickens,  and  butter,  and  honey,  and  vegetables,  and  fruits — 
everything  of  that  kind  they  carry  away." 

"  Excuse  me,  sir,  if  I  ask  your  name  again  ;  the  orderly  does 
not  always  speak  distinctly." 

"Ashcroft,  sir." 

"Ah,  I  have  heard  of  you  and  your  family  in  very  favorable 
terms,  sir.  I  shall  be  glad  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  protect  so 
loyal  a  citizen." 

"Yes,  sir.  I  am  loyal,  and  always  expect  to  be  so."  [The 
truth,  Captain  Carter,  but  G-en.  Bragg  did  not  understand  your 
emphatic  assertion.]  "We've  tried  to  do  our  duty  by  the  Con 
federacy,  sir,  and  you're  welcome  to  the  little  we  have  left,  if  you 
take  the  last  bushel  of  grain  and  carry  it  off  on  the  back  of  the 
last  mule;  but  we're  good  Secessionists  and  don't  want  the 
d d  Yanks  to  be  living  off  of  us." 

"Certainly,  sir ;  I  will  see  what  can  be  done;  and,  believe  me, 
I  will  make  every  effort  to  protect  you  and  your  property  from 
the  Yanks.  But  you  have  come  some  distance,  haven't  you  ?  I 
am  sorry  I  have  nothing  better  than  this  whisky  to  offer  you — 
maybe  when  Semmes  has  swept  the  seas,  Cognac  will  be  obtain 
able  once  more.  The  French  are  as  friendly  to  us,  nearly,  as 
the  British." 

"You  decry  your  whisky  without  cause,  General,  for,  allow 
ing  for  its  age,  which  isn't  very  great,  it  is  not  bad.  But  allow 
me  to  send  to  my  portmanteau  for  a  bottle  of  fine  old  Bordeaux 
I  have  there — imported  before  the  war.  It's  not  only  old,  but 
it  was  good  to  begin  with;  but  it  will  speak  for  itself — good 


266  Secret  Service. 

wine,  you  know,  needs  no  bush.     I  want  you  to  try  it,  General." 

The  colored  servant  soon  returned  with  the  bottle. 

"It  is,  indeed,  one  of  the  best  wines  I  ever  drank,"  said  the 
General,  as  he  sipped  the  rare  wine."  Let  me  pledge  you,  Colo 
nel — here's  to  your  freedom  from  annoyance  from  the  Yankees." 

"  And  here's  to  your  army,  General ;  may  it  find  plenty  left 
when  it  comes  to  drive  away  the  Feds." 

"That  would  be  but  a  poor  return,  Colonel,  for  your  loyalty," 
the  general  answered,  laughing. 

"It  isn't  the  value  of  the  things  that  worries  me,  General,  it's 

the  idea  of  the  d d  Yankees  getting  it.  I  sent  a  hundred 

bushels  of  meal  to  Gen.  Wheeler  as  a  gift,  the  other  day,  just  to 
keep  the  confounded  Feds  from  getting  it." 

"By  the  way,  Colonel,  did  you  see  anything  of  a  Quaker  on 
the  road  this  morning?" 

"With  a  bundle  of  tracts?  Mr.,  or  rather  Friend,  Thurston, 
he  calls  himself,  I  believe;  with  a  nigger  servant?" 

"I  don't  know  his  name,  but  that  is  the  one  I  mean.  He's  a 
spy." 

"A  Yankee  spy!" 

"  Exactly,"  replied  the  officer,  smiling  at  his  visitor's  angry 
surprise. 

"The  devil!  I  gave  him  and  his  darkey  their  suppers  last 
night.  If  I'd  known  who  he  wras,  I'd — I'd — " 

Words  failed  him,  or  appeared  to  do  so;  while  the  general 
answered,  reassuringly  : 

"Well,  Colonel,  never  mind.  We  can't  help  being  taken  in 
sometime  ;  he  deceived  even  Gen.  Van  Dorn,  who  is  pretty  apt  to 
have  his  wits  about  him.  Why,  he  might  have  deceived  me — I 
don't  say  he  would,  but  he  might  have  done  it.  But  we'll  catch 
him,  yet.  In  fact,  we  must  do  it,  for  he  has  some  valuable  in 
formation.  I'm  going  to  make  a  feint  on  the  enemy's  flanks  to 
morrow  with  my  cavalry,  and  hope  to  get  him  that  way.  Any 
how,  we'll  soon  have  that  cunning  old  Dutchman,  Kosecrans. 
I'm  expecting  some  Georgia  and*  Alabama  troops  in  a  few  days." 

"Well,  General,  I  can't  tell  you  how  much  I  hope  for  your 

success.  Don't  leave  one  of  the  d d  mudsills  on  our  soil — it's 

every  whit  as  sacred  as  that  of  Virginia — the  soil  of  the  whole 
Confederacy  is.  But  it's  getting  late,  and  I  want  to  try  and  get 
some  supplies  before  I  start  home.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to 
give  me  a  pass  ?" 


Secret  Service.  267 

"  Certainly ;  and  a  bill  of  protection  for  your  person  and 
property;  we'll  leave  you  whatever  you  have,  so  you  can  give  it 
voluntarily,  you  see,"  the  soldier  replied,  in  a  jocular  manner. 

"I  am  sure  your  kindness — " 

"No  thanks,  my  friend;  I  have  not  deserved  them.  It 
wouldn't  speak  well  for  the  Confederacy  if  her  soldiers  did  not 
protect  and  help  those  who  befriend  them.  Good-night." 

The  "planter"  mounted  his  horse,  and  followed  by  his  trusty 
darkey,  made  his  way  out  of  camp.  They  were  scarcely  out  of 
earshot  of  the  last  picket,  when  Tom,  unable  to  contain  himself 
any  longer,  burst  out: 

"  G-olly  for  Moses,  Massa,  but  you  been  right  in  de  middle  ob 
de  fire  talkin'  to  de  ole  debbil  hisself.  Don't  see  how  you  done 
it." 

And  Tom  showed  all  his  teeth,  as  a  proof  that  he  had  enjoyed 
to  the  full  the  little  comedy  which  we  have  just  described. 

"  Don't  talk  so  loud,  Tom;  there  might  be  some  one  lurking 
around.  We've  done  now,  and  we'll  take  a  straight  shoot  up 
Hoover's  gap  arid  get  to  camp  as  soon  as  we  can." 

"  Heard  de  Cunnel  say  dars  a  regiment  just  gwine  up  de  Man 
chester  road  toward  Hoober's  Gap;  dey  gwine  to  ketch  dat 
damned  Quaker  spy,  dey  say."  And  Tom  grinned  again,  roll 
ing  up  his  eyes  until  nothing  could  be  seen  but  the  whites. 

"Then  we'll  take  the  Shelbyville  road,  and  run  the  risk  of 
meeting  Yan  Dorn.  It's  the  best  we  can  do." 

They  rode  on  for  some  distance,  when  Captain  Carter's  horse 
became  frightened  at  some  trifling  circumstance,  and  in  spite  of 
all  the  efforts  of  his  rider  grew  quite  unmanageable.  Eearing 
<tnd  plunging,  he  scorned  the  control  of  bit  and  bridle.  Behold 
our  gallant  captain,  then,  laid  sprawling  upon  the  road,  while 
Tom  did  his  best  to  capture  the  frightened  animal;  since  their 
safety  might  depend,  before  they  got  back  to  camp,  upon  the 
swiftness  with  which  they  could  go. 

"  Is  you  hurt,  massa?" 

"  Not  much,  Tom,  I  believe.  I  fell  on  my  right  shoulder  pret 
ty  heavily,  but  I  don't  think  there  are  any  bones  broken.  I  wish 
you'd  go  to  that  house  at  the  top  of  the  hill  and  ask  them  if  they 
can  keep  us  over  night.  I  can't  go  on  now,  but  I  think  I  can  in 
the  morning." 

Tom  was  off  in  an  instant,  and  speedily  returned  to  conduct 
his  master  to  the  shelter  which  had  been  cordially  granted.  His 


268  Secret  Service. 

hostess  (for,  as  usual  in  war  times,  there  were  no  men  about  the 
house)  bathed  his  shoulder  and  prepared  him  a  bed  by  the  fire. 
How  long  he  slept  among  her  soft  blankets  and  downy  pillows 
he  did  not  know;  but  it  seemed  only  a  moment  before  he  was 
awakened  by  the  noise  of  horses'  hoofs  in  the  yard  below.  A  call 
aroused  the  people  of  the  house,  and  a  conversation  ensued  of 
which  he  could  only  catch  such  fragments  as  : 

"  Gen.  Yan  Dorn — stay  here  to-night — give  us  beds — to-morrow 
morning — ." 

The  reply  was  in  so  low  a  tone  that  he  heard  only  an  indistinct 
murmur  that  gave  him  no  clue  as  to  whether  this  was  Gen.  Van 
Dorn  himself,  or  whether  he  was  to  be  expected.  He  knew,  how 
ever,  that  he  was  in  very  great  danger,  for  if  these  were  a  por 
tion  of  Van  Dorn's  command  sent  out  to  seek  for  the  Quaker,  he 
might  be  recognized,  in  spite  of  his  second  disguise.  But  whether 
Yan  Dorn  were  here,  or  had  sent  his  soldiers  to  look  for  him,  or 
these  were  a  portion  of  another  command,  he  resolved  to  trust 
to  luck,  and  stay  where  he  was.  Fortune  favors  the  brave,  and 
it  certainly  was  propitious  in  this  case. 

"  Just  walk  into  this  room,  sir,  if  you  please ;  supper  will  be 
ready  in  a  short  time." 

And  the  lady  ushered  him  into  the  room  where  our  bruised  and 
battered  hero  lay.  Eeconnoitering  through  his  half  closed  eye 
lids,  the  Federal  saw  that  the  new  comer's  uniform  was  liberally 
bedizened  with  gilt  buttons  and  gold  lace,  the  ornaments  being 
arranged  so  as  to  indicate  that  the  wearer  held  the  rank  of  lieu 
tenant-general  in  the  Confederate  army.  Who  it  was,  he  could 
not  tell;  certainly — and  he  breathed  more  freely — not  Yan  Dorn 
or  Bragg. 

"The  gentleman  on  the  sofa  was  thrown  from  his  horse  a  short 
distance  down  the  road,  general,  and  asked  me  to  give  him  shel 
ter  for  the  night.  Had  I  known  that  Gen.  Hardee  was  to  honor 
me  with  a  visit  I  would  not  have  put  him  to  bed  in  my  sitting- 
room." 

"I  trust  I  shall  not  disturb  him,  and  I  hardly  think  he  will  an 
noy  me.  You  are  not  acquainted  with  him,  then?  You  don't 
know  his  politics  or  sympathies  ?" 

Just  at  this  juncture,  as  if  in  answer  to  the  question,  the  sup 
posed  "planter"  started  up  and  cried: 

"Run,  Tom;  take  the  horses  and  niggers  down  to  the  wood 
pasture  and  keep  them  there.  The  Yankees  are  coming."' 


Secret  Service.  269 

Muttering,  "Be  quick  about  it,  be  quick,  quick,"  he  sank  down 
upon  the  pillow  again,  all  the  time  apparently  fast  asleep.  The 
Confederate  had  paused  to  hear  the  order,  and  now  turned  to  the 
hostess  with  a  smile  : 

"'Arnan  says  when  he  is  drunk  what  he  thinks  when  he's 
sober/  and  I  reckon  it's  the  same  as  to  his  sleeping  and  waking 
hours.  I  haven't  any  doubt  about  his  politics  now.  The  reason 
I  had  for  asking  was  that  there  is  a  spy  in  our  lines  we're  anx 
ious  to  catch,  and  we  naturally  suspect  every  stranger.  But 
he's  all  right." 

If  it  were  a  relief  to  find  that  this  was  not  Gen.  Van  Dorn,  it 
was  still  a  matter  of  anxiety  that  there  should  be  searchers  in 
the  very  house  in  which  he  had  been  obliged  to  take  refuge.  If 
questioned  by  them,  what  should  he  give  as  his  residence? 
Whatever  locality  he  might  fix  upon  might  be  the  home  of  one 
of  the  Confederates  and  thus  be  the  very  means  of  convicting 
him. 

Whatever  was  to  be  done,  must  be  done  quickly.  He  lay 
upon  the  sofa  apparently  asleep,  but  really  racking  his  brain  to 
plan  an  escape,  as  the  Confederate  officer  awaited  his  supper.  At 
last  the  summons  came,  welcome  alike  to  Confederate  and  Fed 
eral;  and  as  the  general  followed  his  hostess  from  the  room,  the 
captain  opened  his  eyes,  to  see  the  faithful  Tom  beckoning  as 
wildly  as  he  dared.  Springing  to  his  feet,  forgetful  of  all  inju 
ries,  he  was  soon  at  the  side  of  the  darkey. 

"Fse  got  de  horses  all  ready,  sah,"  whispered  Tom,  "come 
out  dis  way.  Dey'll  be  busy  for  some  time  yet  in  dar." 

Tom  had  thoroughly  reconnoitered  the  premises,  and  led  his 
master  safely  out  of  the  house,  by  way  of  a  side  door.  As  they 
passed  under  the  dining-room  windows,  they  could  hear  the 
clink  of  knives  and  forks,  and  the  sound  of  voices — certain  sign 
that  they  were  not  suspected.  Fortunately,  the  absence  of  the 
injured  man  was  not  discovered  for  more  than  an  hour;  and  by 
that  time  the  two  fugitives  had  far  distanced  pursuit.  It  was 
nearly  midnight  when  they  started,  and  not  until  the  afternoon 
of  the  next  day  were  they  able  to  reach  the  Federal  lines,  and 
report  the  result  of  observations  to  Gen.  Eosecrans. 

In  the  meantime,  curiosity  had  been  rife  amid  his  comrades  as 
to  what  had  become  of  Capt.  Carter.  They  had  discussed  the  mat 
ter  in  the  various  circles  that  make  up  the  army,  and  not  rsing 
able  to  discover  any  new  factr  by  the  li^ht  of  their  own  under- 


270  Secret  Service. 

standing,  determined  upon  inquiry;  the  private  asked  the  cor 
poral,  the  corporal  asked  the  sergeant,  the  sergeant  appealed  to 
the  commissioned  officers  of  the  company,  they  to  the  field  offi 
cers  of  the  regiment,  until  finally  the  colonel  put  the  question  to 
Gen.  Thomas,  who  shamelessly  disclaimed  all  knowledge  of  the 
captain's  fate.  Since  Gen.  Thomas,  who  said  he  did  not  know, 
did  not  ask  Gen.  Eosecrans,  the  inquiry  stopped  there;  nor  was 
any  one  the  wiser  about  it  until  Capt.  Carter's  return  to  camp, 
when  the  following  order  was  read  to  the  regiment,  assembled 
for  parade  as  it  had  been  on  the  evening  on  which  our  story 
opens: 

"SPECIAL  FIELD  ORDER  No,  

"  Captain  Carter,  ( — th  Indiana  Yols.)  is  hereby  ordered  to  return  to 
his  command,  and  is  recommended  for  promotion. 

By  order  of  "W.  S.  EOSECRANS,  Maj.-Gen. 

LlEUT.-CoL.    C.  GODDARD,   A.   A.    Gf." 


ONE  OF  MOSBY'S  RAIDS. 

Affairs  at  Fairfax  Court  House — Disposing  of  the  Pickets — The  Meaning  of  It — 
Prisoners  and  Booty — A  Narrow  Escape — Different  Statements. 

IT  was  the  night  of  March  8th,  1863.  There  was  a  Federal 
force  encamped  in  the  village  known  as  Fairfax  Court- 
House,  Virginia,  and  the  usual  precautions  had  been  taken  to 
prevent  a  surprise;  pickets  were  duly  posted,  though  there  was 
no  countersign  out ;  and  the  night  bade  fair  to  be  unmarked  by 
any  other  event  than  the  relief  of  the  guard  at  the  usual  time. 
It  was  a  dark  and  rainy  night,  and  as  the  sentinels  paced  their 
beats  they  wished  that  something  might  happen  to  take  them 
"in  out  of  the  wet,'7  it  did  not  much  matter  what.  But  the 
hours  passed  slowly  away;  the  rain  still  fell  in  torrents ;  and  the 
tired  guards  still  kept  watch  over  their  sleeping  comrades. 

Meanwhile,  the  event  of  the  night  was  drawing  near.  That 
very  evening  a  body  of  men  had  ridden  away  from  a  camp  some 
miles  distant,  and  had  bent  their  course  towards  Fairfax  Court- 
House.  There  were  but  thirty  of  them  in  all,  including  their 
leader ;  a  man  whose  very  name  was  yet  to  be  a  terror  to  small 
parties  of  Federals  apart  from  the  larger  forces — John  S.  Mosby, 
then  captain,  afterwards  colonel.  They  had  timed  their  ride  so 
as  to  reach  their  destination  about  midnight,  but  in  the  rain  and 
the  darkness  they  mistook  the  road,  and  lost  two  hours.  It  was 
two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  March  9th,  then,  when  they  rode 
towards  the  Federal  guards  posted  to  the  east  of  the  village. 

The  sentry  stood  at  his  post,  wearily  wondering  when  the 
night  would  clear,  and  cursing  the  luck  that  put  him  on  duty  in 
Such  weather,  when  two  horsemen  were  seen  approaching. 

"  Halt !     Who  goes  there  ?"  he  challenged,  sleepily. 

271 


272  One  of  Mosby's  Raids. 

"I'll  blow  your  brains  out  if  you  say  another  word,"  hissed 
one  of  the  horsemen  in  his  very  ear. 

There  was  just  enough  light  for  him  to  see  that  a  pistol  was 
pointed  at  his  head  at  a  disagreeably  short  distance;  and  as  he 
turned  slightly,  he  saw  the  same  spectacle  in  another  direction. 
He  accordingly  kept  his  eyes  fixed,  lest  he  should  see  the  same 
thing  again  in  this  dreadful  kaleidoscope,  and  answered  never 
a  word.  His  arms  were  demanded,  and  he  gave  them  up  with 
out  a  sound  of  remonstrance  or  objection.  The  other  pickets 
were  disposed  of  in  much  the  same  way,  their  horses,  arms,  and 
accoutrements  being  carefully  secured.  This  work,  however, 
did  not  require  the  entire  force ;  the  detachment  to  which  the 
duty  had  been  assigned  before  setting  out  had  engaged  in  it 
without  hesitation,  while  the  others  rode  on.  Captain  Mosby, 
with  two  of  his  men,  sought  out  the  headquarters  of  Gen. 
Stoughton,  and  ascended  to  that  officer's  apartment.  Walking 
into  the  room  where  the  Federal  lay  sleeping,  the  Confederate 
shook  him  by  the  shoulder  with  the  summons : 

"General,  get  up." 

The  rudely  awakened  man  started  up  in  bed,  rubbed  his  eyes, 
resumed  his  dignity  and  severity  of  manner,  and  demanded 
sternly : 

"  What  does  this  mean,  sir?" 

"  It  means  that  this  place  is  in  the  possession  of  Stuart's  cav 
alry,  and  you  are  a  prisoner.  Please  dress  quickly — I  can  give 
you  but  little  time." 

"Who  are  you?"  asked  the  general  in  astonishment. 

"  John  S.  Mosby,  commanding  the  force  of  cavalry  that  is  at1' 
this  place." 

Mosby's  name,  even  at  that  early  day,  meant  daring  and  dash, 
but  Stoughton  never  once  supposed  that  he  would  be  so  foolhardy 
as  to  enter  Fairfax  with  such  a  handful  of  men  as  he  really  had; 
and  surrendered  himself  to  the  partisan.  In  other  quarters,  the 
Confederates  were  less  fortunate.  Col.  Wyndham,  who  was  act 
ing-brigadier  of  cavalry,  had,  luckily  for  himself,  started  for 
Washington  a  short  time  before ;  but  their  visit  to  his  headquar 
ters  was  not  without  its  results,  for  his  aid,  the  Austrian  Baron 
Yardner  or  Wordener,  was  captured,  as  were  several  fine  horses. 
Capt.  Barker,  of  the  Fifth  New  York  Cavalry,  was  also  made 
prisoner,  and  thirty  privates  were  taken.  Col.  Johnson,  how 
ever,  escaped  capture  by  concealing  himself  tinder  a  barn.  Five 


One  of  Mosby's  Raids. 


273 


minutes  after  securing  this  place  of  safety,  a  guard  of  three  men 
was  placed  on  the  building ;  but  they  did  not  think  of  searching 
beneath  it.  The  provost-marshal  had  just  gone  to  interview  one 
of  the  videttes,  regarding  horses  and  horse  thieves,  and  thus  was 
not  found  by  the  Confederates,  who  searched  diligently  for  this 
important  officer. 

In  order  that  the  prisoners  would  not  be  obliged  to  walk,  the 
Confederates  helped  themselves  to  horses  from  the  officer's 
stables;  fifty-eight  in  all,  including  those  of  the  pickets,  being 
taken.  This  capture  of  horses  was  of  course  solely  on  account 
of  the  prisoners, 
who  numbered 
thirty-three.  A 
larger  number 
of  horses  could 
have  been  cap 
tured,  but  the 
small  size  of  the 
raiding  force 
prevented  it,  as 
th  ey  feared  to 
encumber  them- 
sel  ves.  The 
stores  were  all 
so  protected  that 
they  could  not 
be  destroyed 
without  burning 
the  town,  and 
this,  for  pruden-  "  What  does  this  mean>  sir  ?" 

tial  reasons,  Mosby  wished  to  avoid.  Such  a  measure  would,  of 
course,  alarm  not  only  the  two  hundred  Federals  who  were  in  the 
town  itself,  and  who,  so  quietly  was  the  whole  thing  carried  out, 
did  not  suspect  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  but  would  bring  down 
upon  them  the  two  brigades,  infantry  and  cavalry,  encamped 
near  by,  as  well  as  the  two  thousand  troops  at  Centreville.  Into 
such  a  hornet's  nest  had  they  deliberately  plunged  their  hand. 

Contenting  themselves  with  the'  thirty-three  prisoners,  fifty- 
eight  horses  and  the  arms  and  equipments  that  they  had  thus 
easily  captured,  the  thirty  Confederates  retreated ;  being  in 
somewhat  of  a  hurry,  for  they  must  be  beyond  the  Federal  lines 


274  One  of  Mosby's  Raids. 

before  daylight,  and  more  than  an  hour  had  been  consumed  by 
the  operations  in  the  town.  In  leaving  the  village,  they  passed 
within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  fortifications  at  Centerville, 
and  were  hailed  by  one  of  the  sentinels  there  ;  but  they  were  not 
delayed,  and  they  reached  camp  in  safety  with  all  their  prisoners 
and  booty,  without  the  loss  of  one  of  their  own  number.  Gen. 
Stuart  issued  a  congratulatory  order,  warmly  commending  all 
who  took  part  in  the  expedition  for  the  daring  courage  and  the 
executive  power  displayed. 

Two  statements  in  regard  to  this  raid  curiously  illustrate  the 
difficulties  of  the  historian  in  obtaining  correct  figures.  The  first 
is  from  the  report  of  the  provost-marshal  of  the  post  to  Col. 
Wyndham,  commandant ;  the  second,  from  a  letter  written  by 
Capt.  Mosby  to  a  friend,  and  published  in  the  Richmond  JSm^'ra* 
a  few  days  after  the  raid  took  place  : 

"I  am  told  by  parties  who  had  seen  them  that  they  were  some 
three  hundred  strong." 

"I  had  only  twenty-nine  men  under  my  command." 

We  leave  the  reader  to  determine  for  himself  whether  the  pro 
cess  used  was  multiplication  or  division. 


CHAPTER 


AN  ADVENTURE  OF  PAULINE  CUSHMAK 

Startling  Advice— The  Toast— Effect  on  the  Audience—"  Banished  South  "—Her 
Wanderings — Securing  a  Disguise — Setting  Out — A  Camp  Fire — Friends  or 
Foes?— Foes— Betrayed— Pursued— The  Wounded  Federal— Help— Captured 
— Scaring  Her  Captors — Escape — After  Adventures. 

£6~T~F  you  will  take  my  advice,  Miss  Cushman,  you  will  do  what 
1  they  have  asked." 

"  Col.  Moore !" 

"Of  course,  I  know  that  you  would  not  feel  it;  if  I  were  not 
sure  of  that,  I  should  arrest  you  immediately ;  but  if  you  are 
willing  to  serve  our  country,  do  this." 

"  Willing  to  serve  my  country  ?    I  would  die  for  it  I" 

"  Die  for  it,if  need  be;  if  not,  live  for  it.  If  you  \?ill  only  do 
this,  you  can  do  more  real  service  than  a  regiment  of  men." 

The  scene  was  the  provost-marshal's  office  at  Louisville,  in 
March,  1863 ;  the  speakers  were  Col.  Moore,  the  provost-marshal, 
and  Pauline  Cushman,  then  known  only  as  a  popular  actress, 
now  more  famous  as  a  scout  and  spy  for  the  Federals.  The 
question  which  they  were  discussing  was  whether,  in  accordance 
with  the  request  of  some  gentlemen,  she  should  drink  a  Rebel 
toast  in  public  that  night.  As  soon  as  those  who  urged  it  upon 
her  had  left  her,  she  hastened  to  the  official,  and  on  reporting  the 
matter,  was  advised  to  drink  the  toast.  Sending  word  to  her 
friends  that  she  would  comply  with  their  request,  the  news  was 
soon  all  over  town — at  least,  among  those  of  Southern  sympa 
thies.  For  it  must  be  remembered  that  while  Kentucky  and 
Missouri  ostensibly  remained  in  the  Union,  there  was  a  large 
population  in  both  states  that  was  intensely  Southern;  and 
along  the  border  generally,  the  feeling  was  even  stronger  thau 
18  275 


276 


An  Adventure  of  Pauline  Cushman. 


in  those  parts  of  the  country  farther  removed  from  the  seat  of 
war.  Then,  too,  in  a  place  situated  as  Louisville  then  was,  with 
a  large  Secessionist  population,  but  in  possession  of  the  United 
States  troops,  the  dominant  party  was  considered  fair  game, 
to  be  worsted  in  an  encounter  of  wits  or  tricks  whenever  pos 
sible. 

The  theater  was  packed  that  evening,  with  an  unsuspecting 
array  of  Union  people  and  an  expectant  host  of  Secessionists. 
The  moment  arrived  when  the  action  of  the  piece  required  Miss 

Cushman  to  drink  a  cer 
tain  toast;  it  was  given — 
"  To  Jeff.  Davis  and  the 
Southern  Confederacy  !" 
A  moment's  pause,  and 
then  broke  forth  the  storm 
of  cheers  and  hisses — a 
combination  due,  of 
course,  to  the  peculiar 
circumstances.  The  play 
went  on,  after  a  consider 
able  delay,  and  at  last  it 
was  finished.  Going  be 
hind  the  scenes  when  the 

performance    was     over, 
Pauline  Cushman.       *  £_. 

Miss    Cushman    found    a 

guard  in  waiting,  to  convey  her  as  a  prisoner  to  the  provost- 
marshal's  office.  After  some  persuasion  from  the  manager,  they 
were,  however,  induced  to  postpone  the  execution  of  their  duty 
until  the  next  day. 

Of  course,  the  arrest  was  a  ruse,  and  only  intended  to  enable 
Miss  Cushman  to  get  the  confidence  of  the  Southern  people 
about  town.  The  authorities  were  aware  that  there  were  many 
persons  in  Louisville  who  supplied  the  Confederates  with  in 
formation  and  valuable  stores;  but  it  was  done  so  adroitly  that 
the  guilty  persons  could  only  be  discovered  by  some  such 
means  as  this. 

In  accordance  with  the  directions  of  Col.  Moore,  Miss  Cush 
man  behaved  quietly  in  public,  talking  very  little;  but  while  in 
company  with  those  whom  she  knew  to  be  Southern  in  feeling, 
gave  way  to  the  bitterest  denunciations  of  the  Federal  authori 
ties,  and  the  most  violent  admiration  of  everything  Confederate. 


An  Adventure  of  Pauline  Cushman.  277 

In  this  way,  she  removed  herself  far  from  suspicion  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Secessionists,  while  the  Union  people  came  to  look  upon 
her  with  hatred.  Assuming  various  disguises,  she  brought  to 
light  many  important  secrets,  and  performed  many  valuable  ser 
vices  as  a  scout. 

At  last,  however,  the  provost-marshal  informed  the  pseudo- 
Rebel  that  he  could  no  longer  tolerate  her  violent  secession  pro 
clivities,  and  she  was,  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  day, 
banished  from  the  lines.  In  reality,  she  was  detailed  by  Col. 
Truesdail,  Chief  of  the  Army  Police,  to  visit  the  headquarters  of 
Gen.  Bragg,  and  secure  all  information  possible.  The  fact  that 
she  had  a  brother  in  the  Confederate  army  would  make  it  com 
paratively  easy  to  do  this,  as  under  the  pretense  of  looking  for 
him,  she  could  travel  without  suspicion  from  one  camp  to 
another,  and  would  be  most  gallantly  assisted  in  her  search  by 
the  chivalrous  soldiers  of  Dixie.  Southward  she  went  then, 
having  been  duly  instructed  in  what  to  do  and  what  not  to  do, 
and  properly  sworn  into  the  service  of  the  United  States. 

We  need  not  follow  her  steps  minutely  in  her  journey  to  Gen. 
Bragg's  headquarters,  and,  subsequently,  in  the  rear  of  the  Con 
federate  army,  as  it  moved  into  South  Carolina.  There  is  no  lack 
of  interest  in  the  story,  but  it  is  eclipsed  by  the  part  which  we 
propose  to  recount.  Desiring  to  make  her  way  back  to  Col. 
Truesdail  at  Nashville,  she  pretended  that  she  wished  to  recover 
her  theatrical  wardrobe,  in  order  that  she  might  accept  a  prof 
fered  engagement  in  Richmond;  she  having  been  deprived  of  all 
her  baggage  in  her  banishment. 

On  her  return,  then,  she  had  gotten  nearly  to  Shelbyville, 
when  the  disturbed  state  of  the  country  rendered  it  advisable 
for  her  to  remain  a  few  days  at  a  small  village  called  Wartrace. 
Only  a  day  or  so  before  her  arrival  at  this  place,  there  had  been 
a  pretty  heavy  skirmish  there,  and  the  country  was  full  of  scout 
ing  parties  of  both  Federals  and  Confederates.  Could  she  only 
fall  in  with  one  of  the  former,  she  knew  that  she  could  send 
much  valuable  information  to  headquarters;  intelligence  that, 
like  griddle-cakes,  would  be  of  no  use  when  stale.  To  openly 
communicate  with  them  would  be  to  forfeit  all  further  chance  of 
escaping  suspicion ;  it  must  be  done  secretly,  if  at  all. 

The  first  difficulty  was  to  secure  a  disguise.  In  Louisville,  she 
had  been  well  provided  with  a  number  of  costumes,  male  and 
female,  but,  of  course,  it  would  not  have  done  to  take  these  with 


278  An  Adventure  of  Pauline  Cushman. 

her  when  she  went  South,  for  her  baggage  might  be  liable  to 
search ;  and  the  presence  of  disguises  would  at  once  brand  her  as 
a  spy.  The  matter  was  carefully  considered,  and  after  long 
cogitation,  she  hit  upon  a  plan.  There  was  a  boy  of  about  seven 
teen  living  in  the  house  where  she  was  boarding,  and  her  quick 
eye  saw  that  his  clothes  would  not  be  a  bad  fit  on  her.  But  how 
to  become  possessed  of  them  ?  He  must,  of  course,  know  nothing 
about  it ;  secrecy  in  every  respect  was  essential  to  her  safety ; 
hence  the  meditated  expedition  must  be  undertaken  and  accom 
plished  in  one  night — between  the  hour  for  retiring  and  that  for 
rising. 

She  had  decided  what  clothes  she  would  wear,  and  she  was  not 
long  in  determining  how  to  get  them.  Had  she  known  the  exact 
locality  of  his  room,  the  task  would  have  been  easier  ;  as  it  was, 
she  knew  only  that  it  was,  with  half-a-dozen  other  bedrooms,  in 
the  upper  story  of  the  house.  Tradition  says  that  she  made  her- 
self  lovely  in  what  the  modest  writer,  taking  refuge  in  French, 
would  wish  to  term  a  robe  denuit;  but  not  having  been  there,  he 
can  only  repeat  what  others  have  said.  The  reader  must  know 
that  even  in  this  part  of  her  plan  disguise  might  be  necessary, 
and  in  case  any  one  discovered  her  roaming  about  the  passage 
ways,  she  intended  to  play  the  leading  role  in  La  Somnambula 
for  his  especial  benefit;  though  perhaps  he  would  be  kind  enough 
to  take  her  for  a  ghost,  and  run  away  without  attempting  to  in 
terview  the  dreadful  apparition. 

As  we  have  said,  there  were  several  bedrooms  upon  this  floor, 
and  she  did  not  know  which  was  the  one  for  which  she  was  look 
ing.  Of  course,  to  have  entered  the  wrong  one  would  have 
alarmed  the  house,  and,  in  spite  of  her  costume,  perhaps  have 
betrayed  her.  There  was  a  moment's  pause  at  each  door,  as  she 
listened  to  the  deep  breathing  of  the  sleepers  within  •  trying  in 
that  way  to  decide  which  was  the  door  to  open.  Having  at  last 
arrived  at  a  solution  of  the  problem,  as  she  supposed,  she  touch 
ed  the  knob  of  one  door  lightly,  turned  it  softly,  and  was  about 
to  swing  the  door  open,  when  a  voice  from  within  cried  : 

"What do  you  want?" 

"O,  what's  the  matter  with  you?"  growled  another;  "Lay 
down  and  go  to  sleep,  do." 

"There's  somebody  at  the  door." 

"  Well,  get  up  and  sea  who  it  is,  and  don't  holler  out  that  way 
in  a  fellow's  ear." 


An  Adventure  of  Pauline  Cushman. 


279 


She  had  listened  long  enough  to  know  that  neither  of  these 
was  the  voice  she  had  expected  to  hear,  u,Ld  hearing  noises  in 
the  surrounding  rooms  which  indicated  that  all  the  occupants 
had  been  disturbed,  she  glided  softly  into  a  small  apartment 
whose  door  was  near  by,  and  which  she  had  supposed,  from  the 
silence  within,  was  untenanted.  But  the  moonlight  which  shone 
in  the  low  window  told  a  different  story;  it  revealed  to  her  the 
form  of  the  very  person  she  was  seeking,  and,  more  important 
still,  it  showed  her  his  clothes  on  a  chair  near  the  bed.  Amid  all 
the  noise  which  the  occupants  of  the  other  rooms  were  making, 
he  slept  on,  in  the  heavy, 
dreamless  sleep  of  youth. 
Possessing  herself  of  the 
prize,  she  waited  breath 
lessly  until  the  tumult 
without  should  have  sub 
sided;  then,  gliding  noise 
lessly  out,  she  made  her 
way  to  her  own  room. 

The  flowing  white  robe 
in  which  she  had  expect 
ed  to  play  the  part  of 
sleep-walker  or  spirit  was 
quickly  discarded  for  the 
less  beautiful,  but  more 
substantial  garments  of 
butternut  jeans,  and  pass 
ing  the  ebony  sentinel  of 
the  household  fast  asleep 
in  the  hall,  she  bent  her 
steps  to  the  stable,  there 
to  select  the  most  prom 
ising  horse  for  her  purpose. 


A  Midnight  Visitor. 


It  was  the  early  summer-time,  and  the  grass,  not  yet  thinned 
and  deadened  by  the  heat  and  drought  of  July,  formed  a  thick 
carpet  over  the  ground,  save  where  beaten  paths  and  dusty 
roads  formed  street  and  sidewalk  for  the  little  town  ;  for  plank 
walks  were  a  luxury  reserved  for  the  public  square,  and  mac 
adam  was  a  thing  unheard  of.  But  the  lack  of  a  substantial 
roadway,  which  in  March  might  have  proved  a  drawback  by  rea 
son  of  the  mud,  was  an  advantage  in  June;  for  her  horse's  hoofs 


280  An  Adventure  of  Pauline  Cushman. 

fell  so  softly  upon  the  thick  verdure  that  no  sound  aroused  the 
sleeping  citizens,  in  vague  alarm  lest  the  enemy  were  coming0 

She  rode  somewhat  cautiously  until  there  was  no  longer  any 
danger  in  that  direction,  and  then,  urging  her  horse  to  greater 
speed,  went  to  work  in  dead  earnest.  Her  difficulties  were  con 
siderably  increased  by  her  ignorance  of  the  movements  of  small 
bodies  of  troops  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  She  who  could  have 
told  the  Federal  officials  all  about  Gen.  Bragg's  army,  was 
afraid  of  falling  in  with  a  Confederate  picket. 

Great  caution  was,  of  course,  necessary,  for  if  she  came  near 
any  camp,  she  must  not  be  perceived  until  she  had  reconnoiter- 
ed,  and  found  the  soldiers  were  friends.  The  necessity  for  such 
careful  proceeding  was  shown  before  she  had  gone  three  miles. 
A  glow,  other  than  the  pale  moonlight,  lit  up  the  woods;  it 
was,  beyond  doubt,  a  camp-fire.  That,  of  itself,  was  nothing;  it 
might  be  friends,  it  might  be  foes.  A  reconnoissance  became  a 
necessity;  so,  dismounting,  she  carefully  tied  her  horse,  and 
crept  noiselessly  toward  the  fire. 

Being  under  the  necessity  of  sheltering  herself  from  observa 
tion,  she  could  not  get  near  enough  to  the  group  to  distinguish 
any  marks  of  service  to  which  they  belonged.  Here  and  there 
were  visible  the  letters  "  S.  A.,"  but  by  a  strange  fatality  the 
first  of  the  mark  was  hidden  from  her  sight;  it  might  be  "  C." 
or  "  U."  In  the  fitful  light  of  the  camp-fire,  and  at  such  a  dis 
tance,  she  could  not  distinguish  whether  their  uniforms  were 
blue  or  gray.  Gradually  and  cautiously  she  crept  nearer,  deter 
mined  to  discover  the  character  of  the  party  before  she  revealed 
her  own  presence  in  their  neighborhood. 

As  she  crouched  in  the  thicket,  peering  earnestly  through  the 
thick  foliage  which  surrounded  her,  she  heard  them  laughing 
and  talking  among  themselves,  unconscious  of  listeners. 

"  This  is  good  liquor,  and  no  mistake,"  said  one,  as  he  passed 
a  flask  to  his  nearest  comrade. 

"  Pity  that  a  fellow  that  carried  such  stuff  as  that  about  with 
him  had  the  bad  taste  to  be  on  the  other  side." 

"Wai,  I  dunno  about  that.  If  he'd  been  one  of  us,  I  reckon 
he'd  a  finished  it  himself,  before  the  enemy  got  a  chance  at  it." 

A  guffaw  followed  this  brilliant  piece  of  wit — any  joke  is  good 
when  washed  down  with  good  liquor — and  the  conversation  was 
resumed  by  the  same  speaker: 

"'S  long  's  he  was  a  good  judge  of  whisky  and  had  the  ear- 


282 


An  Adventure  of  Pauline  Cushman. 


An  Adventure  of  Pauline  Cushman.  283 

marks  of  a  gentleman,  let's  drink  to  his  comrades.     Here's  to 
'em,  boys  !     May  they  all  soon  be  with  him  !" 

"And  may  we  help  to  send  them  there — amen,"  responded 
another,  in  a  tone  of  mock  devotion. 

"  Tell  you  what,  boys,  that  was  a  close  shave,  wasn't  it  now  ?" 

"You  bet  it  was;  it  was  jist  nip  and  tuck  which  should  whip, 
us  or  the  Yanks/' 

"  Wouldn't  mind  one  like  it  every  day,  so's  we  could  git  rid 
of  as  many  Feds." 

The  last  two  speeches  had  solved  the  problem  ;  it  was  a  camp 
of  Confederates,  or,  perhaps,  of  guerillas,  and  she  must  get  out 
of  their  neighborhood  as  quickly  as  possible.  Stealing  cautious 
ly  towards  her  horse,  a  twig  turned  and  snapped  under  her  foot. 
Instantly  one  of  the  soldiers  by  the  fire,  more  watchful  than  his 
companions,  started  to  his  feet  and  looked  about  him. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  you?"  asked  a  comrade,  looking  up 
at  the  man,  who  stood  peering  into  the  darkness  beyond  the 
light  of  the  fire. 

"  Didn't  you  hear  that?" 

"Hear  what?" 

"  There's  somebody  over  there." 

"  O,  it's  some  innocent  old  cow  ;  do  sit  down  and — " 

"  It  wa'n't  no  cow,  Captain  !" 

This  last  word,  in  a  somewhat  louder  tone,  to  attract  the  atten 
tion  of  the  officer  who  sat  on  the  other  side  of  the  fire. 

"What  is  it?" 

"There's  somebody  prowling  about  the  camp,  I  think." 

Instantly  the  order  was  given  that  each  man  should  resume 
his  heavier  arms,  which  he  had  laid  aside  for  greater  comfort, 
and  that  the  force  should  scour  the  woods  until  the  straggler 
should  be  found.  The  words  had  hardly  been  spoken  before  the 
stack  of  arms  beside  the  fire  had  been  demolished  and  the  men, 
now  fully  armed,  were  in  the  saddle.  What  had  lately  been  a 
picture  of  rest  after  the  battle  became  a  scene  of  wildest  confu 
sion.  Miss  Cushman  had  hastened  to  her  horse's  side  as  soon  as 
she  saw  that  her  presence  was  perceived,  and  hastily  mounting, 
had  dug  the  spurs  into  his  side.  But  her  pursuers  lost  as  little 
time,  and  were  soon  within  a  few  yards,  mounted  upon  animals 
in  as  good  a  condition,  apparently,  as  her  own.  Onward  they 
flew,  threading  their  way  between  the  trees,  bounding  over  the 
slighter  obstacles  which  there  was  not  time  to  avoid. 


284  An  Adventure  of  Pauline  Cushman. 

"Halt !"  shouted  the  oncoming  pursuers.  "Halt!  Surrender!" 
But  of  this  she  had  no  notion.     Again  came  the  summons  : 

"Halt  and  surrender,  I  say,  you  d d  Yank." 

As  if  to  emphasize  the  order,  a  bullet  whistled  past  her  head; 
and,  as  she  continued  on  her  course,  regardless  of  the  summons, 
another  and  another  musket  were  fired  in  rapid  succession. 
Dangers  thickened  around  her  ;  if  capture  were  perilous,  escape 
might  be  worse  ;  to  ride  into  Wartrace  with  these  men  follow 
ing  her,  would  be  to  arouse  the  whole  town ;  for  they  were  yel 
ling  like  so  many  deviU  let  loose;  and  to  be  seen  in  herpresent 
costume  by  those  who  knew  her  as  Pauline  Cushman  would  be 
to  reveal  her  character  as  a  Union  spy.  She  dared  not,  then, 
take  the  direct  road  to  Wartrace,  but  must  choose  a  more  circu 
itous  route,  trusting  to  elude  her  pursuers  somewhere  on  the  way. 
Galloping  onward  through  the  dense  woods,  where  only  here 
and  there  the  moonlight  could  penetrate  the  thick  foliage,  and 
all  else  lay  in  black  shadow,  she  came  to  a  more  open  space, 
and  horrified  at  what  she  saw,  endeavored  to  check  her  horse. 
Before  her  lay  a  wide  gully,  with  its  sides  rendered  almost  pre 
cipitous  by  the  flood  of  water  which  in  the  early  spring  had 
foamed  along  it;  but  now,  the  raging  stream  had  dwindled  to  a 
mere  brook  that  rippled  gleaming  in  the  moonlight,  in  the 
lower  part  of  its  bed  ;  and,  a  month  later,  would  have  disap 
peared.  But  it  was  not  the  rivulet  which  caused  her  alarm; 
true,  had  the  water  been  level  with  the  top  of  the  banks  which 
enclosed  its  bed,  it  might  have  added  to  the  danger;  as  it  was, 
she  feared  that  her  horse  could  not  leap  it,  that  she  would  be 
landed  in  the  brook,  and  there  captured. 

But  her  horse,  a  blooded  animal,  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the 
chase  as  fully  as  his  rider.  Trained  as  a  hunter,  he  was  not  used 
to  consider  as  obstacles  anything  less  than  a  house  or  a  tree. 
He  did  not,  then,  regard  in  the  least  her  efforts  to  stop  him;  but 
maddened  by  the  shots  and  yells  of  the  pursuers,  dashed  on — on 
— to  the  very  brink  of  the  chasm  that  gapes  to  receive  them — 
on — and  with  one  mad  bound  the  noble  animal  has  cleared  it 
and  gallops  free  on  the  other  side. 

j   The  pursuers  had  never  quite  lost  sight  of  her,  and  at  this  mo 
ment  they  are  in  full  view.     One  raises  his  musket. 

"  Don't  fire,"  calls  a  comrade  ;  "  the  boy  and  horse  deserve  to 
escape — they're  both  so  plucky." 

"  D n  their  pluck/'  replied  the  other,  as  the  bullet  sped  on 


An  Adventure  of  Pauline  Cushman. 


285 


its  way;  "Hain't  the  right  kind;  it's  the  Yankee  article,  not 
our'n." 

"  Yank  or  Secesh,  I'll  be  darned  if  I  feel  like  chasing  him  any 
more." 

"  It's  a  good  thing,  seem'  as  none  of  us  has  got  a  horse  that'll 
take  the  gully." 

"  Tain't  that,  but " 

"  Come  on,  boys ;  here's  a  bridle  path  to  get  down,  and  one  on 
the  other  side.  Don't  lose  so  much  time." 


Rearing  the  Chasm. 

u Thought  you  wa'n't  going  to  chase  him  any  more?" 

"Have  to  ;  orders." 

"For  my  part,  I  can't  see  no  pluck  in  runnin'  away;  seems 
to  me  there's  a  little  more  in  fighting." 

"  One  wouldn't  be  anything  against  us." 

"That's  mighty  true;  but  then,  hunting's  right  good  fun; 
that's  why  I  took  to  the  bush." 

As  we  have  seen,  the  guerillas  had  lost  considerable  time  in 
finding  a  way  by  which  they  could  cross  the  gully,  and  their  pro 
posed  prey  was  many  hundred  yards  in  advance  of  them — far 
out  of  sight.  Wishing  to  rest  her  horse  a  little,  she  allowed  him  to 
fall  into  an  easier  pace  than  thatwith  which  she  had  started,  and 
rode  quietly  along,  seeking  for  a  road  by  which  she  might  re- 


286  An  Adventure  of  Pauline  Cushman. 

turn  to  Wartraee  without  danger  of  pursuit.  She  came  to  a  spot 
where  the  grass  was  trampled  as  with  the  hoofs  of  many  horses, 
where  the  dust  beneath  was,  here  and  there,  caked  into  a  strange, 
reddish-brown  mass  by  the  action  of  a  liquid,  where  there  were 
small  holes  in  the  trunks  of  the  surrounding  trees,  such  as  Na 
ture  had  not  put  there.  It  was  an  open  space  in  the  forest,  once 
beautiful,  but  now,  as  the  ghastly  moonlight  showed  her  prac 
tised  eye,  a  skirmish  ground  but  recently  used.  Confirming  this 
suspicion,  a  groan  met  her  ear.  Hastily  dismounting,  she  went 
towards  the  spot  whence  it  proceeded,  and  found  there  a  Federal 
soldier,  badly  wounded. 

"  How  did  you  come  to  be  here?  Are  your  comrades  near 
by?"  she  asked,  as  she  tenderly  raised  his  head. 

"  Don't  know  where  they  are.  There  was  a  skirmish  here 
this  afternoon  between  our  squad  and  some  bushwhackers;  but 
I  don't  remember  anything  after  I  was  hit.  Who  are  you?" 

"A  friend.     Can  I  do  anything  for  you?" 

"  I  am  afraid  not ;  I  ought  to  have  my  wounds  attended  to,  but 
it  would  take  a  surgeon  to  do  me  any  good." 

"  Will  you  help  me  ?" 

"  Help  you  ?    Why, " 

"  Listen;  have  you  ever  heard  of  a  woman  who  is  scout  and 
spy  for  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  ?" 

"Pauline  Cushman  ?  I've  heard  enough  of  her  to  fill  ten  books. 
Why,"  said  the  wounded  man,  kindling  into  an  enthusiasm  that 
made  him  forget  his  pain,  "  that  woman  is  the  idol  of  the  army." 

"  Will  you  help  me  ?  I  am  Pauline  Cushman." 

"You?   O,  I'd  die  for  you." 

"  No  need  of  that,  I'm  glad  to  say.  Now,  I  started  out  to  get 
some  information  to  our  army,  but  have  been  chased  by  some 
Eebels,  and  I  must  get  back  to  Wartrace  before  day,  or  all  my 
work  will  be  lost,  and  I  shall  be  hanged.  It  will  be  impossible 
for  you  to  escape,  so  I  want  you  to  pretend  that  I  wounded  you 
again." 

"  I'll  do  anything  in  the  world  for  you,  ma'am." 

"  That  is  all  I  can  ask  of  you ,  Now  be  sure  and  stick  to  your 
story." 

And  depositing  him  gently  upon  the  earth  again,  she  rose  to 
her  feet,  and  rapidly  fired  her  revolver  three  or  four  times. 

"  What's  that  for?"  asked  the  soldier  in  surprise. 

"  Some  of  these  shots  wounded  you,"  she  replied,  gravely. 


An  Adventure  of  Pauline  Cushman.  287 

"Now  don't  forget  the  part  you  are  to  play.     G-ood-bye." 

And  springing  on  her  horse,  she  was  off  like  a  flash.  The  shots, 
while  carrying  out  her  plan  more  perfectly,  had  served  her  a 
bad  turn,  for  they  guided  the  bushwhackers  directly  to  the  spot 
where  the  skirmish  had  taken  place. 

"  Hello,  there,  who  are  you  ?"  asked  one,  drawing  rein  beside 
the  wounded  Federal. 

"I  surrender,  sir.  I  was  wounded  in  the  skirmish  to-day,  and 
just  now  a  boy  that  rode  past  shot  me  again.  Maybe  you  heard 
the  shots." 

"  What  did  he  shoot  you  for  ?" 

"He  seemed  to  think  I  was  one  of  a  party  of  our  men  that  had 
been  chasing  him." 

"Aint  you  a  Fed?" 

"Well,  I  guess  so." 

"And  he  said  the  Feds  were  chasing  him?  I  reckon  you've 
got  things  a  little  mixed,  haven't  you  ?  Here  get  on  your  horse, 
and  come  along." 

Slowly  and  painfully  the  prisoner  was  mounting,  when  two  or 
three  of  the  others,  who  had  gone  on,  came  riding  back  with 
another  captive,  who  was  no  other  than  Miss  Cushman. 

"  Here,  captain,  we've  got  him." 

"  You  d d  Yankees,"  muttered  the  boy,  as  if  in  impotent 

scorn. 

"  What's  that  he  says?" 

"He's  swearing  at  his  Yankee  friends." 

"Friends!"  broke  in  the  boy;  "I  hate  you  worse'n  p'ison ; 
you're  no  friends  of  mine,  you  abolition  Yanks,  you." 

"  Why,  who  do  you  think  we  are  ?" 

"Aint  you  Feds?" 

"  Feds  ?  Well,  I  reckon  not.    Did  you  think  we  were  ?" 

"'Course  I  did.     That's  why  I  run." 

A  hurried  consultation  was  held. 

"Is  this  the  boy  that  shot  you?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"What  did  you  shoot  him  for?" 

"  Why,  you  see,  I  thought  it  was  one  of  you,  and  I  thought  I'd 
keep  him  from  following  me  or  telling  which  way  I  went." 

"Well,  you  talk  all  right,  but  I  reckon  you'd  better  let  us  es 
cort  you  home.  You  needn't  be  afraid  of  us  ;  we're  good  Secesh. 
Ask  this  fellow  if  we  ain't." 


288  An  Adventure  of  Pauline  Cushman. 

"Burned  if  I  don't  believe  you're  the  very  man  that  shot  me 
in  the  fight  to-day  ;  I  know  I  took  aim  at  you,"  said  the  Federal. 

"  Well,  that's  all  right,  all  in  the  way  of  business.  Come, 
boys,  mount  and  fall  in." 

Away  rode  the  little  cavalcade,  with  their  two  prisoners  ;  for 
Miss  Cushman,  of  course,  could  hardly  be  considered  anything 
else.  As  she  rode  on,  she  revolved  many  plans  of  escape,  but 
even  her  busy  brain  could  not  hit  upon  one  that  appeared  feasi 
ble.  Under  pretense  that  her  horse  was  very  much  exhausted, 
she  frequently  fell  behind  the  main  body,  hoping  to  ride  off  in 
another  direction  as  soon  as  they  were  sufficiently  far  in  advance 
of  her.  But  this  plan  was  frustrated  by  the  vigilance  of  her  cap 
tors,  who  would  never  permit  the  desired  state  of  affairs  to  be 
accomplished. 

She  soon  found,  by  the  conversation  carried  on  among  them, 
that  they  were  indeed  bushwhackers,  men  who  were  unauthor 
ized  to  fightfor  either  side,  and  who,  if  captured  by  either  party, 
could  expect  only  a  short  shrift  and  a  hempen  necktie.  Just  at 
present,  it  suited  them  to  be  on  the  Confederate  side,  and  they 
had  possessed  themselves  of  several  articles  conspicuously  mark 
ed  "  C.  S.  A.;"  but  when  these  might  be  exchanged  for  others 
marked  U.  S.  A.,"  the  advance  and  success  of  the  Federal  army 
must  determine. 

As  was  natural  to  men  in  their  position,  they  were  very  much 
afraid  of  being  captured,  or  even  of  being  attacked  by  any  but  a 
very  small  number.  The  woodland  road  along  which  they  were 
now  riding  was  here  and  there  bordered  by  thickets  which  would 
afford  excellent  opportunity  for  an  ambush,  and  the  guerrillas 
were  fully  aware  of  this.  As  they  approached  and  passed  one 
of  the  suspicious  spots,  Miss  Cushman  could  see  that  every  pre 
caution  was  taken  to  prevent  a  surprise  from  the  rear,  and 
speedily  determined  to  take  advantage  of  their  fears  to  escape. 

As  they  drew  near  one  of  the  densest  of  these  thickets,  she 
allowed  her  horse  to  fall  into  a  walk;  by  this  means,  she  was 
enabled  to  lag  several  yardo  behind  the  squad.  They  had  just 
reached  the  middle  of  that  part  of  the  road  that  would  be  most 
exposed  to  a  fire  from  a  party  ambushed  in  the  thicket,  when, 
drawing  her  revolver,  which  she  had  been  enabled  to  reload  be 
fore  her  capture,  she  emptied  all  the  chambers  in  rapid  succes 
sion.  Her  expectations  were  most  beautifully  fulfilled.  Not 
stopping  to  see  who  had  fired  the  shots,  but  taking  it  for  granted 


An  Adventure  of  Pauline  Cushman.  289 

that  there  was  a  considerable  body  of  Federals  near  by,  they 
dashed  off  as  rapidly  as  their  horses  would  carry  them. 

We  may  believe  that  she  lost  no  time  in  making  use  of  her  op 
portunity.  Striking  off  through  the  woods  in  the  direction  of 
Wartrace,  she  reached  that  place  a  short  time  before  daylight. 
Having  carefully  removed  all  traces  of  his  midnight  journey 
from  her  steed,  she  next  proceeded  to  divest  herself  of  the  sus 
picious  attire ;  and  once  more  a  white  spectre  ascended  to  the 
room  where  slept  the  owner  of  the  clothes,  and  carefully  de 
posited  them  on  the  chair  from  which  they  had  been  taken.  The 
owner  had  not  awakened  since  he  first  sanlr  into  slumber  early 
in  the  nigh; ;  and,  of  course,  had  not  the  slightest  suspicion  of 
the  stirring  scenes  through  which  his  wearing  apparel  had  been 
carried. 

There  were  literally  no  traces  of  her  adventure  remaining, 
for,  gifted  naturally  with  a  peculiarly  hardy  constitution,  she 
had  seen  too  much  service  as  a  scout  to  permit  one  night's  work 
to  wear  her  out ;  and  when  the  inmates  of  the  house  met  at  the 
breakfast  table  that  morning,  there  was  not  one  who  found  Miss 
Cushman  less  blooming  and  brilliant  than  usual. 

Of  course,  there  was  nothing  accomplished  by  her  night's  ride. 
She  had  failed  to  communicate  with  a  Federal  scouting  party, 
which  she  desired  to  use  as  the  means  by  which  to  send  the  in 
formation  she  had  gathered  to  headquarters;  but  of  actual  ser 
vice  to  the  Government  there  was,  in  her  career,  no  lack.  We 
have  not  the  space,  however,  to  follow  her  as  she  penetrates  the 
secrets  of  the  Confederate  generals;  as  she  is  suspected,  brought 
before  them,  convicted  as  a  spy,  and  sentenced  to  be  hanged; 
as  they  reprieve  her  out  of  pity  for  her  condition,  when  she  is 
enfeebled  by  disease;  and  finally,  as  her  guards  retreat  before 
the  advance  of  the  Federal  army,  and  she  is  once  more  safe,  and 
in  the  hands  of  her  friends.  Hers  was  indeed  a  history  that 
embraced  many  stirring  adventures,  and  hers  was  a  name  well 
known  to  every  man  in  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 


A  DARING  RESCUE. 

A  Mysterious  Hero — Seeking  Danger — Stirring  News — Friends  in  Peril — Recon- 
noissance— The  Journey — A  False  Alarm — Outside  the  Jail — In  the  Jail — Keys 
of  the  Cells— A  Single-Handed  Attack— The  Keys  Secured— Kelease  of  the 
Prisoners — Retreat — Pursuit  Eluded. 

AMONG-  the  many  who  did  good  service  as  scouts  and  spies 
during  the  War  was  a  Georgian,  known  only  by  the  as 
sumed  name  of  John  Morford  ;  for  sectional  spirit  ran  so  high 
in  those  terrible  days  that  the  relatives  of  a  devoted  Unionist 
or  Secessionist  were  often  violently  persecuted  by  the  neighbors 
who  held  different  views  ;  and  since  his  home  was  in  a  Southern 
State,  and  his  services  done  to  the  Federal  government,  Morford 
assumed  the  name  by  which  he  was  generally  known.  Indeed, 
his  own  has  been  well-nigh  lost  in  the  stories  that  are  told  of  him. 
He  was  attached  to  the  command  of  Gen.  Eosecrans  when,  in 
the  spring  of  1863,  he  went  from  Murfreesboro  to  McMinnville, 
and  operating  from  the  town  as  a  base,  performed  several  import 
ant  tasks.  One  of  these  was  the  burning  of  a  bridge,  over  a 
neighboring  creek;  a  piece  of  business  which  he  managed  so 
cleverly  that  no  one  suspected  him  of  having  a  hand  in  it;  and 
which  he  afterwards  discussed  with  the  citizens  as  coolly  as  if  he 
knew.no  more  about  it  than  he  pretended  to  know.  But  times 
were  dull  in  McMinnville  after  the  talk  about  the  bridge-burn 
ing  had  died  away,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no  prospect  of  any 
thing  similar ;  so  he  bent  his  steps  towards  Chattanooga.  But 
affairs  seemed  to  be  as  dull  in  Chattanooga  as  in  the  other  towns, 
and  he  had  all  but  made  up  his  mind  to  go  farther  when  he  found 
that  by  such  a  course  he  might  fare  worse,  as  is  proverbially  the 
case. 

290 


A  baring  fiescue.  291 

By  faring  worse,  he  of  course  meant  the  failure  to  meet  with 
adventure.  Danger,  excitement,  opportunity  for  serving  the 
cause  which  he  had  espoused,  these  were  as  the  breath  of  his  nos 
trils  ;  he  felt  that  he  could  not  live  without  them.  But  to  Chat 
tanooga  came  the  news  that  three  Federal  scouts  were  confined 
in  the  jail  at  Harrison,  Tennessee,  and  were  to  be  shot  on  May 
1st.  He  began  at  once  to  plan  a  rescue,  and  soon  had  the  train 
laid. 

There  were  plenty  of  Union  men  in  town,  but  not  all  of  them 
could  be  relied  on  for  dangerous  work;  had  they  been  more 
courageous,  they  would  have  been,  like  him,  engaged  in  active 
service.  One  was  found,  however,  to  go  to  Harrison  and  find 
out  various  particulars  which  must  be  familiar  to  those  who  should 
undertake  the  enterprise,  such  as  the  name  and  character  of  the 
jailer,  the  number  and  disposition  of  the  guards,  and  the  general 
arrangements  of  the  jail.  But  though  it  was  difficult,  it  was  by 
no  means  impossible  to  find  men  possessed  of  enough  courage 
and  ability  to  assist  in  such  an  undertaking;  and  by  the  time 
that  the  messenger  returned,  there  were  nine  ready  to  follow 
Morford  to  the  rescue  of  the  condemned  scouts. 

They  left  Chattanooga  on  the  night  of  Tuesday,  April  21, 1863, 
proceeding  very  cautiously ;  for  to  awaken  suspicion  in  the  minds 
of  the  Confederates  would  be  to  thwart  their  plan  entirely.  Of 
course,  the  very  fact  of  such  a  party  journeying  from  one  place 
to  another  in  those  days  was  sufficient  to  provoke  remark,  so 
they  traveled  mainly  at  night ;  concealing  themselves  in  caves 
and  thickets  of  the  Tennessee  mountains  during  the  day.  They 
of  course  knew  men  in  the  surrounding  country  to  whom  they 
could  safely  apply  for  information,  and  from  these  they  learned 
on  Wednesday,  that  the  guard  of  the  jail  had  been  greatly 
strengthened,  as  the  jailer  had  heard  that  a  rescue  was  intended. 
This  filled  them  with  dismay,  for  they  feared  that  the  reinforce 
ments  would  be  more  than  equal  to  their  own  party;  and,  after 
all,  the  success  of  their  enterprise  depended,  in  a  great  degree, 
upon  taking  the  guard  unawares. 

But  the  man  who  furnished  this  information  was  known  to  be 
particularly  "  scary,"  as  were  many  non-combatants  on  both 
sides  during  the  war.  Many  a  country  village  has  been  left  to 
the  women  and  children  at  the  approach  of  a  force  of  cavalry 
which  turned  out  to  be  a  drove  of  cattle;  and  in  one  instance 
that  we  know  of,  the  advance  of  a  load  of  hay  over  the  prairie 
19 


292  A  Daring  Rescue. 

produced  similar  results.  Since  their  informant,  then,  was  hard 
ly  to  be  relied  upon,  they  resolved  to  reconnoiter  again.  Ac 
cordingly,  the  same  man  who  had  acted  as  a  messenger  in  the 
first  instance,  went  to  Harrison  "Wednesday  night.  Their  dis 
trust  of  the  judgment  of  their  friend  was  not  unjustified;  for  the 
scout  returned  on  Thursday  morning  with  the  information  that 
there  was  no  extra  guard  ;  that  there  were  but  two,  besides  the 
jailer,  as  before ;  that  there  had  been  no  alarm  of  a  rescue,  so 
far  as  he  could  ascertain  ;  that  the  guard  did  not  appear  to  be 
particularly  on  the  alert,  as  they  would  have  been  if  there  had 
been  any  such  report. 

But  discouraged  by  the  delay,  and  fearing  that  the  unwelcome 
news  might  prove  true,  four  of  Morford's  men  had  returned 
home,  leaving  only  six,  including  himself  and  the  messenger,  to 
carry  out  the  undertaking. 

Late  Thursday  afternoon  they  left  their  hiding-place  and  went 
by  different  paths  to  the  river;  loitering  about  until  dark,  they 
hastily  repaired  to  the  rendezvous  appointed,  where  they  found 
the  leader,  with  two  boats  that  he  had  procured  in  the  neighbor 
hood.  Crossing  the  river,  and  concealing  the  boats  until  their 
return,  they  took  the  road  to  Harrison.  They  entered  the  town 
and  approached  the  jail  without  difficulty,  there  being  evidently 
no  soldiers  in  the  place. 

"  There  are  two  gates  in  the  board  fence  around  the  jail ;  S , 

you  will  keep  guard  at  the  one  on  the  east  side,  and  L at 

the  southern  one.  J will  be  the  prisoner  that  I  am  to  put 

in  the  jail.  The  other  two  must  stand  in  the  jail-yard  as  if  they 
were  part  of  the  escort." 

Such  were  the  leader's  instructions.  The  sentinels  having 
been  thus  duly  assigned  to  their  posts,  he,  with  the  other  three, 
entered  the  jail  yard  and  rapped  loudly  at  the  door.  The  dim 
light  that  was  visible  inside  the  building  became  brighter  as  a 
window  was  raised. 

"What  do  you  want?"  called  the  jailer,  as  he  thrust  his  head 
through  this  opening. 

"  I  have  a  prisoner  in  charge  ;  will  you  receive  him  ?" 

"Wait  a  minute,  and  I'll  open  the  door." 

In  a  moment  he  had  admitted  Morford  and  J into  the  entry; 

but  something  alarmed  him,  and  with  the  words,  "Just  wait  a 
minute,  will  you?"  vanished  outside  the  door.  Morford  felt  no 
alarm  at  his  absence,  for  the  sentinels  had  been  posted  at  the  gates 


A  Daring  Rescue.  293 

for  the  very  purpose  of  preventing  the  escape  of  the  jail  officials 
or  any  one  else  who  could  give  the  alarm  to  the  Southern  men  in 
the  town ;  but  when  ten  minutes  had  passed,  be  began  to  wonder 
what  kept  the  jailer  so  longj  he  ended  by  investigating,  and 
found  that  the  sentinels,  contrary  to  orders,  had  permitted  the 
fugitive  to  pass. 

"We'll  have  to  be  in  a  greater  hurry,  then,  "said  Morford; 
"for  there's  no  telling  when  he  may  be  back  with  help." 

Returning  to  the  building  with  his  prisoner,  he  roused  the  jail 
er's  family. 

"  I  can't  wait  for  the  jailer  to  come  back.  I've  got  to  get  this 
man  out  of  my  hands  and  get  back  to  camp.  Can't  you  get  me 
the  keys  ?" 

"I  would  give  them  to  you,  sir,  if  I  had  them  or  knew  where 
they  were/' replied  one  of  the  women. 

"  Where  are  the  guards  ?" 

After  some  hesitation,  one  of  the  women  designated  a  room  in 
which  a  guard  was  sleeping.  To  this  the  two  men  went. 

"  Gret  up  ?  I've  got  a  prisoner  here  and  want  the  keys." 

"I'm  not  the  jailer." 

"  Get  up  and  get  the  keys,  I  tell  you.  I  know  you're  not  the 
jailer." 

"  I'll  be  d d  if  I  get  up.  Get  the  keys  yourself,  the  best  way 

you  can." 

"  I  have  a  prisoner  here  that — " 

"  Confound  you  and  your  prisoner !  Let  him  go,  and  then  you 
won't  be  bothered  with  each  other." 

"Where  are  the  keys?" 

"Ask  the  women,  if  the  jailer  ain't  here.     They'll  know." 

Nothing  more  could  be  gotten  out  of  him,  evidently,  without  a 
resort  to  force;  this  they  were  unwilling  to  do,  as  they  did  not 
wish  to  betray  their  real  character  until  the  unfortunate  scouts 
were  safely  out  of  their  cells.  They  accordingly  went  again  to 
the  room  where  they  had  seen  the  women. 

"You  must  let  me  have  the  keys,  madam.  I  don't  know  when 
the  jailer  will  be  back,  and  I  must  be  in  camp  again  as  soon  as 
possible." 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  sir,  but — " 

"  The  guard  says  you  have  the  keys,  or  know  where  they  are, 
interrupted  Morford,  in  a  firm  voice ;  "please  get  them  for  me." 

The  tone  in  which  the  words  were  spoken  made  the  question 


294  A  Daring  Rescue. 

sound  more  like  a  command,  and  the  jailer's  wife  answered: 

"  I  can  give  you  the  key  of  the  outer  room,  but  have  not  that 
opening  the  cells.  Here  is  the  key  of  the  outside  door." 

Morford  took  it  as  she  offered  it,  and  unlocked  the  door  she  in 
dicated.  He  found  himself  in  a  long  room,  or  rather  corridor, 
along  one  side  of  which  was  a  row  of  cells  constructed  of  wrought 
iron,  in  such  a  way  as  to  resemble  cages  more  than  anything  else. 
In  these  he  saw  the  three  condemned  scouts,  one  other  white 
man,  and  a  negro.  Determined  not  to  reveal  his  true  character 
until  he  had  succeeded,  he  began  to  abuse  these  men  roundly. 

"  D — n  your  sneaking  Yankee  tricks;  I've  a  notion  to  hang  you 
now,  and  not  wait  for  next  month." 

"  You  have  no  authority,"  began  one  of  the  prisoners,  in  a 
mildly  argumentative  tone,  as  if  he  would  reason  with  the  savage 
Rebel  before  him. 

"  O,  to  h —  with  your  authority.  What  does  it  matter  to  you 
whether  you're  hanged  with  it  or  without  it,  so  you  stretch 
rope  ?  Get  me  the  keys,  I  say." 

"  I  have  told  you,  sir,  that  we  have  not  the  keys,  and  do  not 
know  where  they  are." 

"Get  me  an  ax,  then,  and  be  quick  about  it." 

"There  ain't  any  ax  about  the  place." 

Morford,  seeing  that  they  were  determined  to  resist  him  as  far 
as  possible,  decided  that  ho  would  have  his  orders  obeyed,  and 
that  without  delay.  Collaring  a  boy,  a  son  of  the  jailer,  he  drew 
his  sabre,  and  thundered  out: 

"If  you  don't  get  an  ax  in  two  minutes,  I'll  cut  your  head  off." 

The  boy  was  off  like  a  shot,  as  soon  as  Morford  let  go  of  his 
collar;  and  returned  with  the  ax  in  less  than  the  time  specified. 
But  the  Federal  had  hardly  begun  to  cut  at  the  lock  when  he  was 
startled  by  the  command,  "halt!"  at  one  gate.  Ax  in  hand,  he 
started  out,  followed  by  his  prisoner. 

"What  is  it,  L—  ?" 

"I've  halted  an  armed  man  just  outside  the  gate,  sir." 

Walking  out  to  where  the  new  comer  stood,  Morford  asked  : 

"Where  are  you  going?" 

"  Where  is  the  jailer  ?  The  messenger  said  you  were  breaking 
down  the  jail." 

"  What  messenger  ?" 

"One  that  just  came  out." 

"Well,  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it,  if  I  am  breaking 


296 


A  Daring  Rescue. 


A  Daring  Rescue.  297 

down  the  jail  r     Suppose  I  carry  off  the  whole  jail,  what  then  ?" 

"  I  am  going  to  stop  it,  if  I  can." 

As  he  spoke,  he  raised  his  gun,  but  Morford  was  too  quick  for 
him,  and  grasped  the  barrel. 

"Let  go  of  this  gun,"  was  the  Federal's  command,  "  or  I'll  give 
orders  to  my  men  to  shoot  you." 

But  the  stranger  vouchsafed  no  reply  in  words;  every  muscle 
was  strained  to  wrench  the  gun  from  the  other's  grasp.  Morford, 
without  relaxing  his  hold  on  the  weapon,  drew  his  sabre  and 
brought  it  down  with  a  heary  sweep  upon  the  other's  neck.  The 
wounded  man,  drawing  back  as  he  felt  the  blow,  lost  his  hold  of 
the  carbine,  and  Morford  began  to  search  him  for  other  arms. 
He  recovered  himself,  however,  in  a  moment,  and  with  desper 
ate  strength  tore  himself  away.  Morford  followed,  firing  his 
revolver  as  he  ran.  Five  shots  were  heard,  but  only  three  took 
effect,  the  most  serious  wound  being  in  the  fleshy  part  of  his 
arm.  He  succeeded,  however,  in  reaching  the  hotel,  which  was 
kept  by  his  brother,  and  bursting  in  the  door,  sank  down  ex 
hausted. 

The  hotel-keeper  came  out  as  soon  as  his  brother  had  made 
known  the  state  of  affairs,  together  with  several  men  who  were 
in  the  building;  and  Morford  soon  found  himself  the  centre  of  a 
crowd. 

"  If  you  want  to  guard  the  jail  you'll  have  to  be  mighty  quick 
about  it,"  he  replied,  fiercely,  to  their  muttered  threats;  "I'm 
going  to  burn  that,  and  the  town  in  the  bargain." 

With  white,  set  face  and  blazing  eyes,  he  strode  forward ;  the 
crowd  fell  back  before  him,  and  unmolested,  he  returned  to  the 
jail. 

"Cheer,  boys,  cheer,"  he  cried;  then  added  in  a  lower  tone: 
"  Make  them  think  there's  a  company  here." 

The  order  was  manfully  obeyed;  and  the  six  men  made  as  much 
noise  as  ten  times  their  number  would  have  made  under  ordinary 
circumstances.  Frightened  at  the  idea  of  such  a  large  force  in  theit 
midst,  the  townspeople  scattered  to  their  homes ;  the  streets  were 
deserted;  lights,  which  might  be  guides  as  to  where  to  shoot, 
were  extinguished  ;  darkness  and  silence  reigned  everywhere, 
except  in  the  jail. 

There,  everything  was  in  confusion.  The  character  and  pur 
pose  of  Morford  and  his  party  were  now  unmistakable  ;  and  the 
women  and  children  huddled  together  in  a  frightened  group  as 


298  -A  Daring  Rescue. 

the  Federal  hacked  away  at  the  hurglar-proof  lock  on  the  door 
of  the  cells  ;  while  he  and  his  party  felt  themselves  encouraged 
by  the  uncontrollable  joy  and  gratitude  of  those  whom  they  were 
about  to  release  from  "durance  vile." 

Half  an  hour  passed,  and  at  last  the  lock  gave  way;  only  to 
reveal,  however,  that  the  door  was  a  double  one,  the  inner  being 
secured  by  a  similar  lock,  and  by  three  heavy  log  chains.  Blow 
after  blow  from  the  brawny  arm  of  Morford  was  rained  upon 
these  defenses;  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  chains  hung  idly  on  the 
doorposts.  But  the  lock  still  remained. 

"  Bring  me  the  key  without  any  more  fooling,  or  I'll  murder 
every  one  of  you,"  he  said,  sternly,  to  the  women,  who  were 
cowering  near. 

"  The  key  ain't  here,"  called  the  guard,  who  was  still  in  bed. 

"  G-et  up  out  of  that  bed,"  was  Morford's  reply,  in  such  a  tone 
that  the  guard  dared  not  disobey. 

As  he  approached,  Morford  struck  at  him  with  his  sabre,  more 
for  a  show  of  ferocity  than  for  anything  else  ;  but  the  man  was  too 
far  oif,  and  the  blade  struck  one  of  the  children,  barely  drawing 
blood,  so  slight  was  the  cut.  But  it  was  enough  to  produce  the 
desired  effect.  The  children  screamed  with  terror;  the  women 
stood  with  white  faces  and  trembling  lips,  expecting  momen 
tarily  that  the  Federal  would  fulfill  his  threat  of  murdering 
them  all.  Seeing  that  they  would  no  longer  dare  to  withhold 
it  if  it  were  indeed  in  their  possession,  he  again  demanded  the 
key ;  which  was  produced  without  the  slightest  attempt  at  fur 
ther  delay. 

Words  cannot  describe  the  scene  which  ensued  when  he  flung 
open  the  door,  and  set  the  condemned  scouts  free.  And  yet  it 
was  but  simple.  A  grasp  of  the  hand,  a  few  broken  words,  a 
suspicious  brightness  of  the  eye — • 

"  For  hearts  must  speak,  though  the  lips  be  dumb" — 

that  was  all ;  and  Morford  turned  to  make  arrangements  for  the 
retreat.  One  of  these  men  was  armed  with  the  gun  which  was 
wrested  from  the  hotel-keeper's  brother,  and  all  were  provided 
with  the  clothes  and  other  property  which  had  been  taken 
from  them  when  they  were  captured.  Then  the  whole  party 
made  the  best  of  their  way  to  the  river,  and  seeking  out  the  boats 
in  which  they  had  crossed,  were  soon  on  the  other  side. 

The  danger  was  by  no  means  over.  By  morning  of  the  follow 
ing  day,  by  noon  at  the  latest,  the  whole  surrounding  country 


A  Daring  JZescue.  299 

would  have  heard  of  the  rescue,  and  all  the  Southerners  would 
be  on  their  track.  The  boats,  then,  were  carefully  concealed  in 
a  wisely  selected  place;  they  would  probably  be  found,  how 
ever  carefully  hidden,  and  they  were  so  placed  as  to  give  the  pur 
suers  the  impression  that  the  pursued  had  taken  an  entirely  dif 
ferent  path  from  that  really  chosen.  Bending  their  steps,  then, 
to  the  mountain  fastness  which  had  sheltered  them  before  the  at 
tack  upon  the  jail,  Morford  and  his  men  lay  quietly  there  while 
the  surrounding  country  was  being  scoured  by  the  Confederates, 
anxious  to  capture  both  the  condemned  men  and  their  rescuers. 

The  chase  was  finally  given  up,  and  the  huntsmen  returned  in 
disgust,  supposing  the  game  had  reached  a  safe  covert.  When 
they  found  that  this  was  the  case,  Morford  and  his  men  issued 
from  their  hiding-place,  and  journeyed  as  rapidly  across  the 
country  as  human  endurance  would  permit. 

Once,  at  least,  their  chance  of  escape  seemed  anything  but  a 
good  one.  Their  presence  becoming  known  to  a  body  of  Confed 
erate  cavalry,  they  were  pursued,  fired  on,  and  nearly  surround 
ed  ;  escaping  only  by  scattering,  each  man  to  some  hiding-place 
well  known  to  himself.  The  cavalry  force  encamped  for  the 
night,  and  threw  out  pickets;  but  made  wise  by  their  previous 
experience,  the  Federals  remained  in  their  places  of  conceal 
ment  until  the  Confederates,  baffled  by  their  mysterious  disap 
pearance,  moved  on. 

Collecting  his  scattered  men  as  soon  as  it  was  safe  to  do  so, 
Morford  proceeded  to  Murfreesboro,  which  was  reached  in  safety 
on  the  very  day  on  which  the  scouts  were  to  have  been  shot. 


A  PRISONER'S  NEWS. 

A.  Friendly  Chat — An  Unwilling  Listener — Exciting  Tidings — His  Resolve — Cir 
cumstances  Favoring  His  Escape — His  Departure — Asking  Aid — The  Guide 
—Progress  Under  Difficulties— The  End  of  the  Journey— What  Was  Saved. 

OOD  morning,  colonel;  fine  morning,  sir." 

"  Yes,  it's  the  season  for  fine  weather — the  middle  of 
May.    You  are  out  early  to  enjoy  it." 

"  Yes,  I  believe  it  is  only  a  few  minutes  after  sunrise.  There 
seems  to  be  a  good  deal  of  stir  in  the  camp  this  few  days  past. 
The  state  of  the  weather  favors  military  operations,  I  suppose." 

"Yes,  we  are  guided  to  some  extent  by  the  state  of  the  weath 
er,  though  not  so  much  as  our  grandfathers  were.  They  went 
into  winter  quarters,  and  we  fight  all  the  year  round;  that's 
the  difference." 

"Well,  here  in  Mississippi,  there  isn't  much  need  of  going  into 
winter  quarters,  anyhow.  But  all  these  men  that  are  coming 
here  look  right  fresh,  considering  their  steady  fighting  and  scan 
ty  supplies." 

"  Yes,  they're  ready  for  work,  and  the  best  of  it  is  that  the 
work  is  ready  for  them.  There's  a  nice  little  expedition  in 
view." 

"  Ah  !  A  reinforcement  for  Yicksburg ?"  asked  the  civilian; 
for  it  was  in  1863. 

"No,  we'll  only  help  Pemberton  indirectly  by  cutting  off 
Grant's  supplies.  Our  spies  and  scouts  have  brought  us  word 
that  a  large  commissary  train  is  to  leave  Grand  Gulf  to-morrow, 
and  we  intend  to  attack  that.  Kill  two  birds  with  one  stone, 
you  know — keep  Grant  from  getting  the  supplies,  and  secure 
them  for  our  own  use." 
300 


A  Prisoner's  News.  301 

"You  must  have  had  the  information  sometime  ago.  The 
troops  have  been  coming  in  for  several  days  past." 

"*Oh,  this  movement  is  only  one  of  a  series.  We're  concen 
trating  here  for  the  purpose  of  waylaying  all  his  trains.  There 
are  ten  thousand  men  here/' 

Such  was  a  portion  of  a  conversation  which  took  place  at  Port 
Gibson,  on  the  morning  of  the  16th  of  May,  1863.  The  speakers 
met  on  the  veranda  of  the  hotel,  and  conversed  in  ordinary  tones, 
not  suspecting  how  eagerly  their  words  were  drank  in.  They 
had  not  noticed  that  they  stood  very  near  a  window,  only  the 
shutters  of  which  were  closed,  nor  did  they  know  that  in  that 
room  lay  a  wounded  Federal  officer.  Suffering  severely,  he  slept 
but  lightly  and  uneasily;  the  first  murmur  of  voices  outside  his 
window  had  awakened  him;  he  tried  in  vain  to  compose  him 
self  to  sleep  again,  while  the  chat  went  on;  but  when  the  Con 
federate  officer  (for  such  he  evidently  was)  began  to  inform  the 
civilian  regarding  the  next  day's  expedition,  he  had  no  wish  to 
go  to  sleep  again  ;  he  must  not  lose  a  syllable.  He  raised  him 
self  on  his  uninjured  arm  and  leaned  forward,  anxious  to  catch 
every  word.  There  was  but  the  information  which  we  have  set 
down,  and  the  talk  turned  to  other  subjects,  which  had  no  inter 
est  for  the  wounded  man. 

Some  two  weeks  before  the  date  at  which  our  story  begins,  the 
Confederates  had  charged  upon  and  captured  a  train.  Much  to 
their  disgust,  the  five  wagons  turned  out  to  be  ambulances,  filled 
with  wounded  Federals.  The  comrades  of  the  wounded  prison 
ers  were  in  great  excitement  over  the  capture,  and  eager  to  res 
cue  them.  A  force  of  three  hundred  men,  under  the  command 
of  Col.  Clark  Wright,  of  the  Sixth  Missouri  Cavalry,  was  sent 
out  for  this  purpose;  the  main  force  of  the  Federals  being  at 
Rock  Spring,  forty  miles  from  the  point  where  the  seizure  had 
taken  place.  Starting  at  dawn  on  the  6th  of  May,  Col.  Wright's 
command  reached  the  Confederate  camp  at  Oakland  College, 
near  Rodney,  the  same  evening;  and  drove  in  the  enemy's  pick 
ets.  The  Confederates  retreated;  but  only,  as  the  Federals  soon 
learned,  to  secure  reinforcements  and  advance  again.  The  Mis- 
sourians  accordingly  took  ten  prominent  men  of  the  town  as 
hostages,  and,  to  avoid  being  surrounded,  fell  back  to  Port  Gib 
son.  Their  retreat  was  not  unmolested,  though  the  march  at 
night  through  a  broken  country  was  not,  at  best,  an  easy  one, 
and  the  pursuers  were  as  tired  as  the  pursued.  Continual  skir- 


302  A  Prisoner's  News. 

mishing  was  kept  up  until  they  reached  the  town,  about  2  A.  M. 

During  this  running  fight,  Major  Kiernan  had  been  severely 
wounded  in  the  shoulder  and  thrown  from  his  horse.  He  was 
transported  to  the  town  with  as-  much  gentleness  as  circum 
stances  would  allow,  and  left  in  charge  of  his  orderly  and  a 
nurse.  The  next  day,  however,  the  Federal  force  retreated  in 
such  haste  to  a  hill  beyond  Bayou  Pierre  that  their  wounded 
officer  was  left  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  enemy.  Fortunate 
ly  for  him,  he  fell  into  good  hands.  For  often,  during  the  War, 
narrow-minded  men  became  suddenly  elevated  to  a  power  which 
they  did  not  know  how  to  use,  and  the  Government  which  placed 
them  in  such  positions  was  held  responsible  for  the  abuses  com 
mitted.  The  captors  of  Major  Kiernan,  however,  were  made  of 
other  stuff.  His  orderly  and  nurse,  of  course,  were  not  permit 
ted  to  remain  with  him,  but  the  place  of  the  latter  was  imme 
diately  supplied  by  an  equally,  efficient  person.  "  He  was  very 
kindly  attended  by  a  Confederate  surgeon,"  says  a  contempo 
rary  Northern  newspaper;  which,  to  say  the  least,  was  not  apt 
to  ascribe  too  much  credit  to  Southern  humanity.  Twice  he 
was  offered  a  parole,  but  both  times  he  refused.  As  he  was  quite 
disabled  by  his  wound,  however,  there  was  no  very  strict  guard 
kept  upon  him;  the  visits  of  the  surgeon  being  the  only  sur 
veillance  to  which  he  was  subject. 

But  ten  days  had  passed  since  he  was  shot,  and  although  he 
was  still  far  from  well,  the  conversation  on  the  veranda  had 
quelled  the  sense  of  pain,  had  dulled  the  perception  of  danger, 
the  remembrance  of  the  distance  that  would  have  to  be  traversed 
— everything  but  the  intense  desire  to  reach  the  Federal  head 
quarters  at  Grand  Gulf  and  give  notice  of  the  contemplated  at 
tack  in  time  to  save  the  traiq.  He  rose  and  dressed  himself  as 
well  as  he  could,  with  his  wounded  shoulder.  Fortunately,  the 
nurse,  seeing  him  safely  asleep  at  midnight,  had  left  him  for  much 
needed  rest,  and  would  not  return  for  two  hours  more,  at  least; 
so  that  there  was  no  one  to  wonder  at  his  sudden  activity.  The 
early  hour  was  another  circumstance  in  his  favor,  for  but  few  of 
the  guests  or  employes  of  the  hotel  were  as  yet  stirring.  He  de 
scended  to  the  ground  floor,  meeting  no  one  but  a  negro  cham 
bermaid  ;  and,  save  in  very  rare  cases,  the  Federals  could  always 
depend  upon  the  fidelity  of  the  colored  people. 

Nor  was  there  any  one  to  stop  or  challenge  him  as  he  left  t^ie 
building,  and  made  his  way  through  town.  Unacquainted  with 


304 


A  Prisoner's  News. 


A  Prisoner's  News.  305 

the  country  immediately  around  Port  Gibson,  what  he  most 
dreaded  was  losing  his  way.  Guidance  of  some  kind  must  be 
secured.  He  dared  not  address  any  white  person,  or  even  let 
himself  be  seen  by  one;  for  even  if  such  a  person  were  not  a 
strong  Secessionist  (and  it  was  but  one  chance  in  a  hundred  that 
he  would  not  be),  fear  of  the  consequences,  or  an  ignoble  desire  to 
curry  favor,  might  induce  him  to  secure  the  suspicious  inquirer. 
Day  was  rapidly  advancing,  and  he  must  be  out  of  town  before 
his  absence  from  his  room  was  discovered;  he  must  be  off  the 
public  streets  before  they  were  thronged  with  citizens  and 
soldiers. 

In  this  state  of  affairs,  he  bethought  himself  of  the  source 
whence  aid  so  often  came  to  those  in  similar  situations — the 
colored  people.  He  had  not  much  difficulty  in  finding  a  little 
cabin  occupied  by  a  family  of  these  friends  in  need. 

"Hi,  daddy!"  he  called,  to  an  ancient  "uncle,"  who  was 
busily  at  work  in  a  confused  mass  of  rude  and  humble  household 
goods,  with  which  the  front  yard  was  filled. 

"Good-mawnin',  boss,"  was  the  respectful  answer,  as  the  old 
man  dropped  his  work  and  advanced  towards  the  soldier,  pull 
ing  the  lock  of  gray  wool  that  hung  upon  his  retreating  forehead. 

"  I'll  come  in,"  the  officer  continued,  suiting  the  action  to  the 
word ;  "  I  want  to  see  you  privately." 

"Lawdy,  massa,  'taint  a  berry  nice  place  fo'  you  to  come  in, 
fur  we's  agwine  ter  move,  an'  de  tings  is  all  ebery  which  way." 

"Never  mind  that.     Do  you  know  who  I  am?" 

"I  spec's  your«  a  Fed'ral  soger,  sah  ;  ain't  you  now  ?" 

"  Yes,  and  L  am  a  prisoner,  or  at  least  was,"  answered  the  offi 
cer,  determined  to  throw  himself  at  once  on  the  old  man's  mercy; 
"  will  you  help  me  to  get  away?" 

"  Goramity,  massa,  I'll  tote  you  on  my  back  cl'ar  to  General 
Grant's  headquarters  ef  you  says  so." 

The  earnestness  of  the  old  man's  profession  was  so  totally  at 
variance  with  his  decrepid  old  age  that  the  officer,  anxious  and 
suffering,  could  hardly  suppress  a  smile. 

"No  need  of  that,"  he  answered,  in  a  kindly  tone;  "but  I 
want  you  to  show  me  a  path  by  which  I  can  get  out  of  town  with 
out  being  seen  by  any  white  people.  Can  you  do  it  ?" 

"O,  yes,  sah;  d&t'seasy.  But  you  wants  to  go  pretty  fas'  now?" 

"As  fast  as  I  can." 

"Ef  it's  all  de  same,  dar's  my  son  Jim  what's  more  activerdan 


806 


A  Prisoner's  News. 


I  is,  sah  j  I  got  de  rheumatiz  so  bad  dat  I  jist  hab  to  hobble  along. 
I'll  call  him,  sab."  . 

Jim  was  summoned,  and  readily  undertook  the  task  of  guiding 
the  prisoner.  Major  Kiernan  had  passed  the  more  public  part 
of  the  town  before  applying  for  this  aid,  wishing  to  expose  his 
guide,  whoever  it  might  be,  to  as  little  danger  as  possible;  for 
it  would  be  dangerous  for  a  colored  person  to  be  found  guiding 
a  Federal  prisoner  back  to  freedom.  Their  route,  then,  lay  by 
and  among  the 
houses  to  which  a 
considerable 
portion  of  open 
ground  was  at 
tached;  and  by 
making  their 
way  through 
back  gardens,  far 
from  the  win 
dows  of  the 
houses,  and  par 
tially  concealed 
by  trees  and 
shrubbery,  they 
could  gain  the 
outskirts  of  town 
unobserved.  At 
last  they  were 
fairly  into  the 
country,  and  Ma 
jor  Kiernan,  af- 
,1  .  ,-,  Seekinq  a  Guide. 

ter  learning  the 

route  that  he  must  take  to  reach  Bayou  Pierre,  dismissed  his 
guide  with  many  thanks  and  a  suitable  reward.  On  through 
the  brush,  then,  he  pressed,  the  sun  his  only  compass  by  which 
to  direct  his  course. 

The  stream,  sluggish  and  turbid,  like  all  the  manifold  branch 
es  of  the  Mississippi,  was  reached  at  last.  Swollen  by  the  spring 
rains,  it  was  too  deep  to  wade  through,  and  he  was  too  badly 
disabled  to  swim  across.  With  some  difficulty  he  loosened  a 
half-decayed  log,  which  had  become  partially  imbedded  in  the 
soft  ooze  bordering  the  stream ;  and  armed  with  a  rude  pole, 


A  Prisoner's  News.  307 

which  he  found  a  few  yards  off,  he  managed  to  cross  the  stream. 

But  with  the  passage  of  the  stream,  his  difficulties  were  by  no 
means  ended.  He  found  that  the  camp  on  the  hill  to  which  Col. 
Wright  had  retired  from  Port  Gibson,  had  been  abandoned.  He 
was  not  unprepared  for  this;  even  if  Jim  had  not  informed  him 
of  it,  he  knew  that  it  could  not  be  held  with  so  large  a  force  of 
the  enemy  at  so  short  a  distance ;  but  as  he  toiled  painfully  on 
ward,  and  still  there  were  no  signs  of  his  comrades,  he  felt  al 
most  disheartened.  Weakened  by  pain  and  fever,  nothing  but 
indomitable  will  sustained  him,  as,  now  through  marshy  forests, 
now  through  thick  canebrakes,  he  made  his  way.  Every  step 
was  hard  labor,  for  often  his  foot  would  sink  almost  to  the  ankle 
in  the  soft  and  slimy  ooze;  and  the  effort  made  to  release  the 
one  would,  of  course,  but  sink  the  other  deeper.  Mile  after  mile 
he  journeyed,  until  it  seemed  so  many  hundreds.  Yet  he  dared 
not,  he  could  not,  he  would  not  give  up  the  the  undertaking,  so 
difficult  of  execution. 

He  began  to  look  forward  to  the  end  of  his  journey  as  the 
child,  at  midsummer,  looks  forward  to  Christmas;  half  with  dis 
belief  that  it  will  ever  come,  half  with  dread  of  the  long  ages 
which  must  first  pass.  Wearily,  wearily,  he  dragged  himself 
on.  The  fever  which  had  coursed  through  his  veins  was  leaving 
him  now,  and  a  terrible  weakness  was  succeeding  it.  Yet  he 
must,  he  would  go  on.  At  last  his  tired  eyes  caught  the  glim 
mer  of  the  sun  on  something  white;  far  off,  indeed,  but  still  a 
hope;  though  he  half  fears  that  his  imagination,  his  very  sight, 
is  playing  tricks  upon  him.  But  no;  the  white  spots  slowly 
grow  larger  as  he  presses  on;  at  last  they  assume  a  definite 
shape,  familiar  to  the  soldier's  eyes;  he  sees  the  tents  of  the 
Federals  at  Grand  Gulf,  eight  miles  from  Port  Gibson. 

The  sight,  or  rather  the  certainty  that  his  eyes  have  not  de 
ceived  him,  puts  new  vigor  into  his  limbs,  and  he  hastens  for 
ward  as  if  he  were  neither  wounded  nor  wearied.  But  when  the 
necessity  for  exertion  ceases,  when  he  is  in  the  presence  of  the 
Commandant  of  the  post,  words  fail  him  in  which  to  tell  that  for 
which  he  has  undergone  so  much  ;  he  falls,  fainting  to  the 
ground.  They  revive  him,  and  press  on  him  every  attention; 
but  although  they  would  sooth  him  to  rest,  he  must  tell  his 
story;  nor  will  he  be  satisfied  until  informed  that  all  necessary 
precautions  shall  be  taken  to  save  the  train  from  capture.  His 
self-devotion  was  not  forgotten,  but  rewarded  in  the  manner 
20 


308  A  Prisoner's  News. 

dearest  to  the  soldier's  heart — the  praise  of  his  superior  officers, 
and  a  more  substantial  recognition  in  the  shape  of  a  recommen 
dation  for  promotion. 


CHAPTER 


A  BLOCKADE-RUNNER'S  FATE. 

A  Volunteer  Messenger  —  The  Captain  at  Last — A  Tempting  Prize  —  Yankee 
Shrewdness — Outnumhered,  but  Victorious— A  Collection  of  Johnnies— De 
struction  of  the  Cooper — A  Hundred  Men  to  the  Rescue— Only  They  Didn't 
Get  There— The  Penalty  of  Being  Good-Looking. 

"  T"T"ALLO,  Pomp,  what's  the  matter  with  you?" 

1  I  The  speaker  was  a  midshipman  on  board  the  United 
States  steamer  Shockokon,  a  vessel  of  the  blockading  fleet  sta 
tioned  off  Wilmington,  North  Carolina;  the  person  addressed  was 
an  ancient  negro  who  was  making  every  effort  to  reach  the  ship 
by  means  .of  a  small  row-boat ;  the  time  was  an  evening  in  August, 
1863. 

The  old  man  rested  a  moment  on  his  oars,  and  lifted  his  rag 
ged  hat  in  answer  to  this  speech. 

"  Oh,  I  suppose  you  want  to  come  on  board,"  remarked  Mr. 
Middy ;  "  well,  seeing  it's  you,  I'll  let  you." 

He  watched  the  old  man,  as  he  clambered  painfully  up  the  side, 
with  a  look  of  intense  superiority.  Nor  was  this  expression  al 
tered  when  the  newcomer  stood  respectfully  before  his  Middy- 
ship. 

"  Ef  you  please,  sah,  is  you  de  captin'  ?" 

"  Well,  no,  not  exactly ;  do  you  think  I  look  like  the  cap 
tain  ?" 

"  I  dunno,  sah ;  I  neber  sot  1  him,  sah ;  but  I'd  like  to  see  him 
now,  ef  it's  quite  conbenyent,  sah." 

"  I  don't  know  that  the  old  man  is  on  exhibition  at  this  time 
of  the  day,"  returned  the  midshipman,  facetiously;  "  what 
might  be  your  business  with  him  this  evening,  Pompeius?" 

309 


310 


A  Blockade- Runner's  Fate. 


"  Hit  mout  be  somefin'  of  importance,  sah,"  replied  the  colored 
man,  looking  as  if  he  felt  his  communication  of  great  moment. 

"  And  then  again,  hit  moutn't,"  rejoined  the  youth,  mimicking 
the  old  man's  dialect."  Come,  tell  what  it  is,  and  I'll  tell  you  if 
it  will  be  necessary  to  bother  the  captain  about  it." 


"Leave  your  address,  Pomp.1' 

But  this  condescending  offer  did  not  produce  the  desired  result. 
"  Hit's  somefin  the  captin  'ud  like  to  know  about,  and  I've  jest 
come  free  miles  to  tell  him  of  hit." 


A  Blockade-Runner's  Fate.  311 

"Kind  of  you,  I'm  sure,  and  I  know  that  the  captain  will  be 
very  much  obliged  to  you  when  I  tell  him  of  it;  I  shall  certain 
ly  let  him  know  that  you've  been  here.  Leave  your  address, 
Pomp,  and  I'll  send  you  word  when  to  call  again." 

The  poor  old  fellow  looked  quite  bewildered  by  all  this  bril 
liant  and  delicate  raillery,  and  stood  twirling  his  brimless  and 
almost  crownless  hat  with  an  air  of  painful  uncertainty. 

"I — I  dunno,  sah,  but  I'd  kinder  like  to  see  the  captin' ;  becuz, 
sah,  you  see,  I've  got  somefin  to  say  to  him — somefin  'ut  moutbe 
important,"  he  stammered  in  reply;  his  voice  becoming  steadier 
as  he  recollected  that  he  could  make  use  of  the  imposing  word 
with  which  he  asserted  his  right  to  be  heard,  even  by  the  captain. 

"  The  old  darkey  is  mighty  close  about  this  importantbusiness 
of  his,"  thought  the  middy;  "and  I  guess  I'd  better  quit  chaffing 
him;  it  would  raise  no  end  of  a  row  to  send  him  away,  if  he 
really  should  have  something  of  importance  to  tell." 

Thus  reflecting,  but  dreading  the  laugh  which  would  most  cer 
tainly  be  against  him  if  the  sable  visitor's  business  should  be 
of  no  more  dignity  than  his  appearance  argued,  he  concluded  to 
shuffle  the  responsibility  upon  another  pair  of  shoulders,  and 
with  due  gravity  informed  the  dusky  visitor  that  the  officer 
standing  yonder  was  the  captain. 

Nothing  doubting  the  truth  of  this  assertion,  the  old  man  ad 
dressed  himself  to  1jae  officer  in  question  ;  who,  by  the  way,  was 
a  beardless  ensign. 

"Ef  you  please,  sah,  dar's  somefin  I  t'ink  you'd  like  to  know 
about,  sah,"  began  -the  badgered  darkey,  humbly. 

"Maybe  there  is,  "returned  the  ensign,  good-naturedly;  what 
is  it  that  you  have  to  tell  me  ?" 

"Hit's  about  a  Secesh  ship,  Mas'r  Captain,  ut's  a  layin'  to  up 
Popsail  Inlet ;  and  I  t'ought  mebbe  you'd  like  to  ketch  her." 

"I  am  not  the  captain,"  replied  the  ensign,  "and  he  is  the 
one  who  ought  to  be  told  of  this.  Wait  until  I  come  back,  and 
I  will  go  and  see  about  it." 

So  at  last  the  bearer  of  intelligence  was  permitted  to  behold 
the  greatest  of  all  potentates,  the  commander  of  a  man-of-war 
on  the  deck  of  his  own  vessel.  The  midshipman's  trick,  which 
the  ensign  explained  to  him  in  reply  to  his  many  expostulations, 
had  rather  unsettled  his  confidence  in  the  statements  of  naval 
officers,  however,  and  it  was  with  much  difficulty  that  he  was 
induced  to  tell  his  story.  Divested  of  the  protestations  that  he 


312  A  Blockade- Runner's  Fate. 

would  tell  it  only  to  the  captain,  it  was  substantially  as  follows: 
The  Cooper,  a  Confederate  merchantman,  which  had  several 
times  eluded  the  vigilance  of  the  blockading  fleet,  was  lying  at 
a  certain  point  pretty  clearly  indicated  by  the  negro,  up  Topsail 
Inlet,  an  arm  of  the  sea  a  short  distance  above  Wilmington.  Her 
crew  were  o^n  leave,  the  enormous  wages  paid  to  seamen  by  the 
masters  of  vessels  engaged  in  this  dangerous  business  being  sup 
plemented  by  many  privileges.  The  vessel  was  guarded  by  a 
force  of  Confederates,  who  were  engaged  in  making  salt,  and  a 
short  distance  from  the  schooner  was  a  larger  force.  But,  like 
most  of  his  race  in  those  days,  their  informant  could  tell  them 
nothing  definite  and  reliable  about  the  strength  of  these  two 
forces.  There  was  "a  right  smart  chance"  of  men  at  the  other 
camp,  by  which  expression  he  meant  the  one  last  mentioned;  but 
there  were  nothing  like  as  many  salt-makers.  The  negro  had 
heard  it  reported  that  the  Cooper  expected  to  make  the  run  fo* 
the  open  sea  somewhere  about  the  end  of  that  week. 

Captain was  on  the  alert  at  once  to  devise  some  plan  t.o 

make  sure  of  capturing  the  saucy  schooner.  The  mouth  of  the  ip- 
let  was  of  course  too  wide  to  be  completely  blockaded  by  his  single 
vessel,  and  the  others  of  the  fleet  had  each  its  appointed  station. 
To  call  them  to  his  assistance  might  be  only  to  give  some  othe^ 
Confederate  a  chance  to  elude  them  ;  for  many  such  a  false  alarm 
had  been  raised  with  that  end  in  view,  and  .the  old  negro  might 
be  only  a  cunningly  instructed  decoy,  who  had  at  heart  the  in 
terests  of  his  masters  rather  than  those  of  his  liberators.  Besides,- 

"  The  fewer  men,  the  greater  share  of  honor." 

The  position  of  the  camp  of  the  larger  body  was  such  that  the 
commander  of  the  Shockokon  felt  assured  that  an  attacking 
party  could  flank  it  without  too  wide  a  detour,  and  made  hist 
plans  accordingly.  A  sufficient  force  to  overpower  any  such 
body  of  men  as  it  would  be  reasonable  to  suppose  would  be  en- 
gaged  in  making  salt,  was  ordered  to  advance  up  the  inlet;  a 
careful  reconnoissance  having  failed  to  ascertain  anything  defin 
ite  about  the  strength  of  the  schooner's  immediate  guards.  Bu£ 
the  Confederates  were  not  to  be  thus  caught  napping;  the  Feder 
als  had  hardly  got  fairly  into  the  inlet  before  a  battery,  cunning 
ly  masked  in  the  thick  cypress  woods  that  clothed  the  swampy 
ground,  opened  upon  them.  The  presence  of  these  guns  had  been 
entirely  unsuspected  by  the  Federals,  and  their  force  was  wholly 
unable  to  cope  with  an  enemy  so  protected.  They  therefore  re- 


A  Blockade-Runner's  Fate.  313 

turned  to  the  Shockokon,  and  for  several  days  nothing  was  done 
on  either  side. 

Of  course  the  Cooper,  knowing  that  she  was  closely  watched  by 
at  least  one  vessel  of  the  blockading  fleet,  made  no  effort  to  put 
to  sea;  and  the  attitude  of  the  two  antagonists  was  that  of  sim 
ple  waiting.  Bnt  this  could  not  last  long  ;  time  was  too  precious 
to  be  thus  wasted,  and  it  was  unbecoming  in  a  vessel  of  the 
blockading  fleet  to  be  unable  to  bring  an  enemy  to  terms  whose 
location  was  known.  Something  must  be  done,  and  that  at 
once. 

It  was  decided  to  resorib  to  strategy.  Any  attack  from  the 
southward  would  bo  received  by  the  masked  battery  or  some  sim 
ilar  defense;  but  an  enemy  from  the  other  direction  would  be 
unexpected,  and  therefore  more  likely  to  succeed.  But  how  was 
this  to  be  accomplished,  since  they  had  no  reliable  guide  topilot 
them  through  the  marshes  surrounding  the  Confederate  camp, 
and  there  was  no  entrance  to  the  inlet  from  the  north  ? 

Yankee  ingenuity  had  solved  the  puzzling  question.  Running 
up  to  a  point  on  the  outer  coast  a  few  miles  north  of  that  on  the 
inner  one  where  the  Southerners  were  known  to  be,  the  Federal 
made  his  arrangements  for  the  attack.  Two  boats  were  to  be  sent, 
each  manned  by  six  men,  under  command  of  an  ensign.  One  of 
these  parties  was  to  act  merely  as  a  reserve  force,  in  case  the 
other  should  be  driven  back  to  the  boats ;  the  other  was  to  sur 
prise  the  Confederate  camp. 

The  coast  had  been  carefully  reconnoitered  during  the  day, 
and  a  landing  place  selected.  As  night  came  on  the  air  grew 
sultrier  than  ever,  and  the  clouds,  which  at  sunset  had  be»n 
banked  in  the  west,  had  overspread  the  whole  sky.  The  night 
was  intensely  dark.  Through  the  blackness  the  two  boats  set  off 
from  the  ship,  the  oars  muffled,  lest  by  some  unlucky  chance  an 
unfriendly  ear  should  hear  them  and  alarm  the  Confederates; 
and  so  great  was  the  disparity  in  numbers  that  the  only  hope  of 
the  Federals  lay  in  the  unexpectedness  of  the  attack. 

A  later  reconnoissance  had  been  so  far  successful  as  to  give  the 
officers  of  the  Shockokon  an  accurate  idea  of  the  strength  of 
the  enemy — about  twenty-five  men  were  at  the  wharf  to  which 
the  schooner  was  moored,  and  a  force  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men  at  the  lower  camp.  To  send  seven  men  against  nearly  two 
hundred  seems  the  rankest  foolhardiness  ;  and  indeed,  it  was  an 
interesting  question,  what  part  the  men  at  the  lower  camp  would 


314  A  Blockade- Runner's  Fate. 

take  in  the  conflict ;  but  the  commander  relied  upon  the  Confed 
erates  becoming  demoralized  by  an  attack  coming  from  a  direc. 
tion  in  which  they  fondly  imagined  themselves  safe;  and  he 
knew  that  the  men  sent  upon  this  risky  errand  were  not  likely 
to  fail. 

At  the  point  where  they  landed,  a  neck  of  land  not  more  than 
a  mile  in  width  forms  the  boundary  between  the  waters  of  the  in 
let  and  those  of  the  open  sea;  the  narrowness  of  the  barrier  be 
ing  the  chief  reason  for  the  selection  of  the  landing-place.  Leav 
ing  one  boat  drawn  up  on  the  beach  here  they  carried  the  other 
across  the  neck,  and  launched  it  in  the  inlet.  This  task  being 
accomplished,  the  reserve  force  returned  to  its  own  boat,  to 
await  the  coming  of  the  others;  while  the  attacking  party  rowed 
down  the  inlet. 

The  Confederates,  relying  upon  the  patrol  which  the  officer  in 
command  at  the  lower  camp  had  promised  to  maintain,  had  set 
no  guard  of  their  own.  But  this  officer,  lulled  into  fancied  se 
curity  in  regard  to  attack  from  any  direction  except  from  the 
south,  had  not  thought  it  worth  while  to  extend  his  watchful 
care  so  far  to  the  north.  Unobserved  and  unhindered,  then,  the 
little  force  of  Federals  silently  approached  the  camp. 

The  Confederates,  oppressed  by  the  heat,  were  dispersed 
about  the  camping-place  in  considerable  disorder.  The  Federals 
approached  the  landing-place  unheard,  and  disembarking  noise 
lessly,  stole  toward  the  camp.  The  first  intimation  the  blockade- 
runner's  guard  had  of  the  presence  of  an  enemy  was  the  stern 
call  to  surrender.  They  sprang  from  their  resting-place  on  the 
earth,  bewildered  aud  wholly  uncertain  as  to  the  strength  of  the 
attacking  party. 

Meanwhile  the  Federals  had  striven  to  conceal  the  weakness 
of  their  force  by  scattering  among  the  Southerners,  so  that  the 
latter,  finding  themselves  apparently  surrounded  by  a  foe  of  un 
limited  numbers,  had  no  recourse  but  to  yield.  Some  of  them,  it 
is  true,  had  prevented  such  a  consummation  as  far  as  they  indiv 
idually  were  concerned,  by  taking  to  their  heels  as  soon  as  the 
state  of  affairs  was  discovered.  A  few  shots  were  fired,  but  in 
the  darkness  it  was  impossible  to  take  aim,  and  they  buried 
themselves  harmlessly  in  the  trunks  of  the  surrounding  cypress 
trees.  It  was  but  a  few  moments  after  their  landing  that  the 
Federals  found  themselves  in  possession  of  the  camp. 

The  victors  argued  that  the  men  who  had  so  hastily  retreated 


A  Blockade- Runner's  Fate.  315 

were  probably  privates;  that  the  officers  in  command  of  the  force 
had  no  doubt  remained  at  their  post,  and  endeavored  to  defend 
their  trust.  Ten  men  had  been  captured,  and  now  stood  in  sul 
len  submission ;  among  them,  their  captors  felt  assured,  were 
the  leaders;  and  while  their  numerical  weakness  rendered  it  un 
wise  to  attempt  to  take  all  their  captives  with  them  to  the  boats, 
they  mast  secure  those  of  most  importance.  But  they  wore  no 
insignia  of  their  rank  ;  how  were  the  Federals  to  distinguish 
between  the  two  grades  ? 

Some  pine-knots  cast  a  fitful  light  over  the  scene,  revealing  to 
the  mortified  Confederates  how  small  a  body  of  men  had  tri 
umphed  over  them  ;  and  this  illumined  the  face  of  one  to  whom 
the  ensign  in  command  now  turned. 

"  What  is  your  name  ?" 

"  John  Smith,"  was  the  prompt  answer ;  which  seemed  to  ex 
cite  some  interest  among  his  comrades. 

"  What  is  your  rank  ?"  again  asked  the  ensign,  not  deigning 
to  notice  the  little  ripple  of  suppressed  merriment,  but  speaking 
with  all  the  sternness  which  he  could  command. 

"  Neither  general  nor  drummer  boy,"  replied  the  soi  disant 
Smith. 

The  ensign  turned  from  him  •  evidently  this  prisoner  did  not 
mean  to  reveal  his  identity. 

"  What  is  your  name  ?"  he  asked  of  another. 

"John  Smith,"  returned  the  second  Confederate,  as  promptly 
as  his  comrade  had  replied. 

Even  by  the  uncertain  light  the  Confederates  could  see  the  as 
tonished  look  which  the  ensign,  in  spite  of  himself,  turned  upon 
the  two  men  who  had  been  interrogated,  and  the  last  speaker  re 
plied  to  it: 

"  Oh,  we're  all  genuine  Johnnies,  every  one  of  us." 

"Are  there  any  officers  present,  sir?"  inquired  the  Federal,  in 
a  tone  of  stern  dignity.  He  saw  plainly  that  the  prisoners  were 
in  hopes  of  being  rescued  by  a  force  from  the  lower  camp,  which 
the  fugitives  must  be  very  near  by  this  time.  Every  moment 
was  precious  to  him,  and  of  this  fact  his  prisoners  were  as  well 
aware  as  any  one. 

"There are,  sir,"  replied  the  Secessionist  addressed,  the  same 
who  had  been  first  questioned. 

"How  many?"  demanded  the  ensign. 

"  There  are   three/'  was  the   answer,   the   speaker    looking 


316 


A  Blockade-Runner's  Fate. 


around  him  to  assure  himself  of  the  accuracy  of  his  state 
ment. 

"Will  you  point  them  out?"  was  the  next  question;  to  which 
the  equally  terse  reply  was  returned  unhesitatingly  : 

"  I  will  not." 

Having  no  time  to  lose,  the  ensign  spent  no  more  of  the  prec- 


"We  are  all  genuine  Johnnies" 

ious  moments  in  interrogating  his  prisoners,  but  ordered  them 
to  stand  up  in  line.  As  they  obeyed,  he  took  a  lighted  knot  in 
his  hand  and  scrutinized  each  one  closely.  As  a  result  of  his  ex 
amination,  he  selected  three  of  them,  as  looking  the  most  like 
officers.  These  were  to  be  taken  to  the  Shbckokon  as  prisoners 
of  war,  the  remainder  being  paroled. 

"  There  is  no  time  to  be  lost,  men,"  said  the  ensign  to  his  sub 
ordinates,  as  soon  as  this  vexatious  question  had  been  thus  settled. 


318 


A  Blockade-Runner's  Fate. 


A  Blockade- Runner's  Fate.  319 

"R will   remain  in  charge   of  the  prisoners  who  have  not 

been  paroled;  L and  H will  go  to  the  wharf,   and  see 

that  the  salt  works  are  fired  beyond  the  possibility  of  saving 

them  after  our  retreat;  S and  M ,  you  will  accompany 

me  on  board  the  schooner/' 

The  men  set  to  work  as  directed,  and  a  column  of  smoke  soon 
arose  from  the  salt-works.  The  ensign's  party,  proceeding  to  the 
vessel,  found  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  get  the  schooner  out, 
and  the  blockade-runner  therefore  shared  the  fate  of  the  works. 
In  order  to  destroy  this  harbor  of  theBebels  as  completely  as  pos 
sible,  the  wharf  was  also  fired.  The  guns  on  board  the  Cooper 
were  spiked,  and  the  carriages  destroyed.  In  an  incredibly 
short  time,  the  Confederate  property  at  this  point  was  a  total 
wreck. 

But  these  operations  had  consumed  time;  the  escaping  South 
erners  had  probably  reached  the  lower  camp  by  this  time,  and 
given  the  alarm  to  the  large  force  there.  True,  the  main  object 
of  their  errand  had  already  been  accomplished  ;  no  human  pow 
er  could  quench  those  ever-rising  flames;  and  as  if  heaven  itself 
smiled  upon  their  efforts,  and  refused  to  send  its  rain  up'on  the 
fire,  the  clouds  had  now  cleared  away,  leaving  the  sky  a  deep 
clear  blue.  But  though  the  schooner  and  other  stores  of  the  en 
emy  had  been  destroyed,  the  Federals  had  not  yet  fulfilled  their 
whole  plan  ;  they  must  return  to  the  ship,  with  the  prisoners 
whom  they  had  taken. 

But  though  the  commandant  of  the  lower  camp  had  been  crim 
inally  negligent  in  his  failure  to  maintain  the  patrol  as  he  had 
agreed  to  do,  he  lost  not  a  moment  when  the  tidings  came  ofthe 
Federal  attack.  The  flying  soldier  who  came  first  from  the  scene 
of  disaster,  could  scarcely  tell  whether  the  attacking  party  had 
come  by  land  or  water ;  nor  were  those  who  had  followed  him 
much  better  informed.  The  salt  camp  had  been  surprised — of 
that  much  they  were  certain  ;  but  no  farther  information  was  to 
be  obtained  from  them. 

Although  he  could  ascertain  no  details,  the  mere  fact  that 
there  had  been  such  an  assault  was  sufficiently  alarming,  and  he 
hastily  aroused  a  hundred  men  to  rescue  the  prisoners,  and  en 
deavor  to  save  the  schooner  and  her  surroundings.  The  march 
was  a  forced  one,  for  to  them,  as  to  the  Federals,  every  moment 
was  precious.  With  what  chagrin  and  dismay  they  beheld  the 
huge  columns  of  black  smoke,  with  here  and  there  a  shooting 


320  A  Blockade-Runner 's  Fate. 

tongue  of  flame  outlined  against  the  clear  sky  of  the  summei 
night,  may  better  be  imagined  than  described.  They  could  not 
save  the  property  of  the  Government,  but  it  would  be  a  wonder 
ful  consolation  to  catch  the  destroying  vandals. 

Meanwhile  the  Federals  had  worked  rapidly,  and  were  safe  in 
their  boat  and  upon  the  waters  of  the  inlet.  They  were  not  a 
moment  too  soon,  for,  as  they  rowed  away  from  the  land,  they 
could  hear  distinctly  the  measured  tread  of  a  column  approach 
ing  from  the  south.  It  could  only  be  from  the  lower  camp,  the 
anxious  Federals  and  no  less  anxious  Confederates  assured  them 
selves  ;  and  the  bluecoats  bent  to  their  oars  with  renewed  en 
ergy. 

Meanwhile  the  column  from  the  lower  camp  had  reached  the 
scene  of  the  late  bloodless  combat.  But  every  boat  had  been  dis- 
troyed  along  with  the  Cooper.  To  pursue  by  land  was  impossi 
ble,  for  the  marshy  ground  to  the  north  of  them  was  too  soft  to 
bear  the  weight  of  any  number  of  men.  Besides  this,  the  retreat 
ing  force  would  of  course  reach  the  shore  long  before  they  could 
hope  to  do  so,  and,  without  a  boat,  they  could  do  nothing. 

The  baffled  Confederates  therefore  gave  up  the  chase,  and  re 
turned  to  the  lower  camp.  The  little  body  of  Federals,  having 
so  narrowly  escaped  their  numerous  pursuers,  returned  as  they 
had  come,  and  rejoining  their  comrades  upon  the  beach,  put  off 
from  the  land  which  had  seen  such  a  daring  venture.  They  had 
been  completely  successful  except  in  one  particular,  and  that  a 
minor  one. 

When  the  captain  of  the  Shockokon  came  to  question  the  three 
Confederates  who  had  not  been  paroled,  they  owned  to  being 
known  by  other  names  than  John  Smith;  and  his  inquiries  as  to 
their  military  rank  were  answered  more  exactly  than  the  en 
sign's  had  been. 

"  Are  you  all  privates  ?"  he  asked,  in  some  surprise,  as  he 
heard  the  various  statements. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  returned  one  of  the  number,  with  a  meekness  nev 
er  surpassed  by  Moses;  "the  ensign  who  commanded  the  attack 
ing  force  was  considerate  enough  to  parole  all  the  officers  of  our 
party." 

And  he  added,  sotto  voce,  but  quite  audibly  to  his  comrades: 
"That's  what  we  got  for  being  good-looking." 


CAPTURE  AND  ESCAPE  OF  MORGAN. 

The  Partisan — The  "  Marion  of  the  West " — Different  Opinions — Reasons  for  Raid 
— First  Triumph — Called  Back — Second  Start — In  Kentucky — Capt.  Hines' 
Scout — A  Warm  Reception — Marauding — General  Scare — Rapid  Marching — - 
High  Water — Lessening  the  Force — Surrender  of  Morgan  with  Remnant  of 
Command — Securing  the  Prisoners — Ohio  Penitentiary — "Old  Man  Hevay  " — 
The  Prisoners  Ride  the  Guard's  Hobby — The  Tunnel  Begun — A  Second  Guard 
Taken  in  by  Flattery — Reconnoissance  Made  Possible — A  Prize  in  the  Shape 
of  a  Spade — Tunneling — Necessity  for  Haste — A  Brother's  Davotion — Outside 
the  Penitentiary — Was  there  Collusion  ?  — A  Traveling  Companion — The  Es 
cape — Discovered — Morgan's  Death. 

THE  partisan  is  naturally  the  hero  of  song  and  story.  So 
much  of  the  romance  has  been  taken  out  of  war,  by  the  con 
stant  improvement  in  weapons,  that  it  shows,  more  than  ever, 
its  more  terrible  side.  When  each  man  marked  his.  antagonist; 
when  each  individual  victory  was  the  result  of  personal  courage 
and  skill ;  when  the  result  of  the  battle  was  made  up  from  these 
individual  victories  and  defeats;  then,  there  was  that  about  war 
which  could  inspire  the  lay  of  the  minstrel  and  furnish  the  epic 
poet  with  a  theme  beautiful,  although  in  that  very  beauty  there 
were  elements  of  the  terrible.  But  now,  when  the  mark  is  often 
but  a  dim  grayish  line,  there  is  nothing  of  the  wild  impulse 
which  drives  men  to  fight  when  opposed  by  an  enemy;  it  is 
simply  obedience  to  the  orders  of  a  general  who  thinks  about  as 
much  of  his  privates  as  the  chessplayer  thinks  of  the  elephant 
from  whose  tusks  his  pieces  were  made. 

But  the  partisan  comes  into  actual  contact  with  the  enemy — 
penetrates  to  his  camp,  carries  off  his  messengers,  intercepts  his 
scouts,  and  often  pays  the  penalty  of  his  daring  by  becoming  a 
prisoner.  Such  was  Marion  during  the  Revolution  : 


322 


Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan. 


"  The  band  was  few,  but  true  and  tried, 

The  leader,  frank  and  bold — 
The  British  soldier  .trembled 

When  Marion's  name  was  told. 
Grave  men  they  were  by  broad  Santee, 

Grave  men  with  hoary  hairs, 
Their  hearts  were  all  with  Marion, 

For  Marion  were  their  prayers. 
And  lovely  ladies  greeted  them 

With  kindliest  welcoming." 

Such  is  the  estimation  in  which  the  partisan  is  held  in  his  own 
country  and  among  his  own 
people.  The  opinion  of  hisene- 
mies  is  often  different ;  widely, 
and  it  may  he,  in  case  of  cap 
ture,  painfully  different;  hut 
with  that,  save  for  the  pur 
pose  of  correcting  the  extrava 
gant  praises  and  the  incred 
ible  achievements  related  of 
the  Ranger,  we  have  hut  little 
to  do.  We  speak  only  of  the 
admiration  which  thrilled  the 
breast  of  the  colonial  New 
Englander  in  the  days  of  the 
French  and  Indian  War,  when 
Putnam's  name  was  mention 
ed  ;  of  the  South  Carolinian,  in  the  Revolutionary  days,  when  the 
praises  of  Marion  and  Sumter  were  sounded  •  and  of  the  Ken 
tucky  Rebels  of  the  recent  War,  when  Hayne  sang: 

"  Hath  the  wily  swamp-fox 

Come  again  to  earth  ? 
Hath  the  soul  of  Sumter 
Owned  a  second  birth  ?" 

and  added,  by  his  song   of  "  The  Marion  of  the  West,"  a  new 
lustre  to  the  already  famous  name  of John  H.  Morgan. 

As  we  have  intimated,  the  question  of  this  soldier's  merits  has 
been  differently  decided  by  the  two  parties,  friends  and  foes; 
but  as  time  goes  on,  and  the  bitter  feelings  pass  slowly  away, 
men  of  the  North  are  more  ready  to  recognize  that  his  was  a 
peculiar  genius,  particularly  adapted  to  the  kind  of  warfare  he 
chose.  His  method  was  irregular,  violating  the  established 
rules,  but  still  supported  by  the  broader  principles  on  which 


Gen.  John  H.  Morgan. 


,  Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan.  323 

those  rules  are  based.  In  the  condemnation  of  him  by  the 
stricter  officers,  we  must  take  into  account  the  fact  that  he  occa 
sioned  them  much  trouble.  Such  was  the  rapidity  and  unex 
pectedness  with  which  he  moved  that  he  has  been  compared,  by 
a  recent  writer,  to  the  Irishman's  flea — "  I  put  me  hand  roight 
on  him,  and,  begorra,  he  wasn't  there  !"  But  after  two  years  of 
learning  in  that  dearest  of  schools,  the  Federal  cavalry  began 
to  take  in  the  lesson  which  the  old  plainsman  stated  thus,  as  ap 
plied  to  one  case: 

"  Whar  thar  ain't  no  Injuns,  thar  you'll  find  'em  thickest." 

They  began  to  fight  Morgan  with  his  own  weapons  ;  to  look 
for  him  where  he  was  least  likely  to  be;  to  guard  every  point; 
to  be  continually  on  the  alert;  and  at  last  their  efforts  met  with 
the  due  reward,  so  long  wished  for,  so  often  despaired  of,  and 
only  attained  by  hard  labor,  incessant  care  and  much  loss  of 
life.  How  that  capture  was  effected,  and  the  efforts  the  gallant 
Kentuckian  made  to  escape,  it  shall  now  be  our  business  to  nar 
rate. 

It  was  early  in  the  summer  of  1863.  Gen.  Bragg,  whose  army 
lay  around  Tullahoma,  knew  that  he  could  not  long  hold  that  po 
sition,  and  would  soon  be  compelled  to  retreat  before  the  advan 
cing  forces  of  Gen.  Rosecrans ;  while  Gen.  Buckner,  who  com 
manded  a  small  body  of  men  in  the  eastern  part  of  Tennessee, 
would  be  driven  southward  as  soon  as  Gen.  Burnside  should 
march  upon  him.  But  this  was  not  all.  The  retreat  must  be 
attempted,  but  there  was  but  little  hope  that  it  could  be  accom 
plished  with  a  reasonable  degree  of  safety;  on  the  contrary, 
there  was  much  danger  that  the  army  would  be  cut  to  pieces. 

Of  all  the  officers  engaged  in  the  War,  in  either  army,  there 
was,  perhaps,  none  who  excelled  Gen.  Bragg  in  the  skill  and 
judgment  with  which  he  used  his  cavalry.  On  this  occasion,  he 
saw  that  a  vigorous  demonstration  in  Kentucky  made  by  this 
arm  of  the  service  would  engage  the  attention  of  the  Federal 
generals  sufficiently  for  him  to  retreat  unobserved.  Accordingly, 
Gen.  Morgan's  command,  long  regarded  as  invincible,  was  or 
dered  out  for  the  purpose.  The  leader,  bolder  even  than  the 
general  commanding,  desired  to  make  the  raid  yet  more  extend 
ed,  and  crossing  the  Ohio,  penetrate  into  the  very  heart  of  In 
diana  and  Ohio.  This,  he  urged,  would  create  so  much  terror  in 
the  states  thus  invaded  that  all  the  troops  in  that  section  of  the 
country  would  be  sent  after  him;  and  even  if  he  and  his  men 
21 


324  Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan. 

should  be  captured,  the  benefits  to  the  South  would  far  outweigh 
the  losses. 

But  while  Bragg  fully  appreciated  the  generous  courage  which 
prompted  the  offer,  his  prudence  would  not  permit  him  to  accept 
the  proposition.  He  gave  Morgan  carte  blanche  to  go  wherever 
he  would,  south  of  the  Ohio,  but  peremptorily  refused  all  per 
mission  to  cross  it.  But  though  the  orders  were  plainly  stated, 
the  subordinate  resolved  to  commit  that  offense,  unpardonable  in 
a  soldier — disobedience  to  asuperior.  To  his  second  in  command, 
Maj.  (afterward  Gen.)  Basil  Duke,  he  expressed  his  determina 
tion  to  cross  the  Ohio,  and  make  the  horrors  of  the  War  felt  in 
the  North  as  they  had  been  felt  in  his  native  state. 

The  plan,  indeed,  was  one  that  he  had  long  nourished;  and 
fully  three  weeks  before  the  time  of  which  we  speak,  he  had 
ordered  intelligent  and  reliable  men  to  examine  the  fords  of  the 
upper  Ohio.  Nor  was  he  alone  in  his  desire  to  penetrate  into 
the  enemy's  country,  to  " carry  the  War  into  Africa;"  for  at 
this  very  time,  the  officer  who  stood  deservedly  at  the  head  of 
the  Confederate  Army  was  advancing  into  Pennsylvania  toward 
Gettysburg. 

It  was  the  llth  of  June  when  the  division,  consisting  of  a  little 
less  than  two  thousand  five  hundred  men,  set  out  from  Alexan 
dria,  and  marching  to  the  Cumberland  crossed  it  not  far  from 
Home.  The  main  body  encamped  near  the  pike,  while  a  detach 
ment  was  sent  some  two  or  three  miles  forward  to  intercept  a  mail 
train.  In  that  disturbed  section,  it  was  necessary  to  protect  the 
mail  carriers,  and  in  this  case,  a  guard  of  eighty  or  ninety  men 
had  been  detailed  to  insure  the  safety  both  of  the  messengers 
and  of  the  several  sutlers'  wagons  which  accompanied  it.  Many 
times  had  such  a  train  passed  on  its  way  unmolested,  and  on  this 
occasion  no  danger  was  anticipated.  Had  it  been,  a  braver  guard 
would  probably  have  been  chosen;  for  this  turned  and  fled  in 
the  wildest  confusion  as  soon  as  the  Confederates  fired;  not  a 
shot  being  returned. 

Such  was  the  first  triumph  of  Morgan's  invincible  command 
(for  so  it  was  considered)  on  this  its  great  exploit.  It  seemed  to 
strike  terror  into  the  hearts  of  those  who  would  have  stopped 
his  progress,  for  no  opposition  of  any  account  was  met  with  until 
the  2d  of  July.  In  the  meantime,  the  necessity  of  intercepting  a 
Federal  raiding  party  which  had  made  its  way  into  East  Tenn 
essee  and  was  threatening  Knoxville,  had  obliged  Gen.  Morgan 


Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan.  325 

to  recross  the  Cumberland,  and  retrace  his  steps  for  some  dis 
tance.  But,  retarded  by  a  local  rain  which  rendered  the  roads 
impassable  for  their  four  pieces  of  artillery,  the  Confederates  did 
not  arrive  in  time  for  any  real  work.  On  this  2d  of  July,  then, 
during  the  great  battle  of  Gettysburg,  which  was  to  drive  Gen. 
Lee  from  Pennsylvania  back  to  Virginia,  Morgan's  division  again 
recrossed  the  Cumberland,  this  time,  at  two  unimportant  points, 
a  few  miles  from  the  southern  boundary  of  Kentucky. 

The  river  was  unusually  high,  owing  to  those  very  rains  which 
had  so  lately  retarded  their  progress;  and  Gen.  Judah,  in  com 
mand  of  the  Federal  forces  in  the  vicinity,  supposed  it  impassa 
ble.  It  was,  indeed,  a  dangerous  thing  to  attempt;  the  stream 
had  risen  high  above  its  ordinary  level,  and  foamed  and  fretted 
and  rushed  along  like  a  mountain  torrent.  Nor  had  they  boats 
fit  for  their  purpose  ;  two  or  three  small  canoes,  and  two  rickety 
flat  boats  on  which,  in  ordinary  circumstances,  no  one  of  them 
would  have  trusted  a  dog  for  which  he  cared,  were  the  only 
means  of  crossing  which  had  escaped  the  vigilance  of  the  Fed 
erals.  But  necessity  knows  no  law,  and  having  come  thus  far, 
they  were  not  the  men  to  give  up  the  task  they  had  undertaken. 
While  they  crossed  the  raging  stream  in  these  crazy  crafts,  the 
enemy,  secure  in  the  notion  that  the  river  was  utterly  impassa 
ble,  had  not  even  posted  videttes  to  give  information  as  to  the 
movements  of  the  Confederates. 

Yain  security  !  Delusive  hopes  !  Judah  had  hardly  become 
aware  that  Morgan  had  accomplished  what  he  had  thought  im 
possible,  before  a  portion  of  the  gray-coated  cavalry  had  charged 
upon  a  body  of  his  command  and  driven  it  back  to  the  main  en 
campment  on  Marrowbone  Creek.  But  it  would  require  too 
much  space  to  detail  their  Kentucky  fights;  a  bare  mention 
must  suffice.  Columbia  was  taken  on  the  third,  while  Col. 
Moore,  who  had  thrown  up  fortifications  at  the  bridge  where 
the  road  from  Columbia  to  Lebanon  crosses  Green  River,  found 
the  national  anniversary  an  unfortunate  day  on  which  to  oppose 
Morgan.  Elsewhere  will  be  found  a  hint  of  the  way  in  which 
the  Confederate  leader  discovered  that  Louisville  would  be  an 
unhealthy  place  to  visit;  so  after  three  Federal  regiments  had 
been  encountered  and  defeated  some  five  miles  from  Lebanon, 
on  the  fifth,  and  Bardstown  had  surrendered  on  the  following 
day,  the  division  marched  in  a  direction  northwest-by-west,  to 
the  Ohio  River;  striking  that  mighty  stream, at  a  point  some 


S2C  Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan. 

thirty  miles  southwest  of  Louisville,  measured  in  a  bee  line. 

All  this  time,  of  course,  the  Federals  were  not  idle;  but  Hob- 
son's  command  was  following  Morgan  as  closely  as  the  great  raid 
er's  speed  and  unexpectedness  of  movement  would  permit.  But 
the  blue-coats  were  full  fifty  miles  behind  when  the  boys  in  gray 
reached  Garnettsville.  It  has  been  said  that  Morgan  crossed  the 
Ohio  to  escape  from  this  officer,  who  was  in  command  of  all  the 
cavalry  of  Judah's  division  ;  but  a  sane  man  would  rather  "  bear 
the  ills  he  has  than  fly  to  others  that  he  knows  not  of;"  to  leap 
from  the  frying-pan  into  the  fire  is  the  act  of  a  very  foolish  fish 
indeed;  and  the  absurdity  of  this  theory  is  the  best  answer  to  it. 

Captain  Thomas  H.  Hincs  had,  some  two  months  before,  been 
given  permission  to  scout  "  north  of  the  Cumberland  "  with  some 
eighty  men.  The  orders  fixed  no  time  at  which  he  must  return 
to  his  command,  and  tempted  by  the  latitude  which  the  vagueness 
of  stating  time  and  place  afforded  him,  he  made  rather  an  exten 
sive  scout.  There  is  rather  a  large  extent  of  country  lying 
"  north  of  the  Cumberland,"  and  the  loyal  state  of  Indiana  is  in 
cluded  in  it.  When,  therefore,  Capt.  Hines  had  crossed  the  Ohio 
and  raided  the  southern  portion  of  this  state,  he  had  not  dis 
obeyed  the  letter  of  his  orders;  and  the  letter  pleased  him  better 
than  the  spirit.  But,  as  we  shall  see,  his  presence  there  prepared 
an  unexpected  difficulty  for  the  main  command. 

Morgan  reached  Brandenburg  on  the  eighth,  having  previous 
ly  sent  scouts  forward  in  advance  of  the  main  column  to  procure 
means  of  crossing  the  river.  These  had  succeeded  in  capturing 
two  steamboats,  and  as  soon  as  the  command  came  up,  the  work 
of  embarkation  began.  But  the  raid  of  Capt.  Hines  had  greatly 
alarmed  the  Indianians ;  the  militia  had  been  called  out,  and  two 
gunboats  had  been  sent  down  the  river.  Capt.  Hines'  little  force 
had  been  scattered  by  the  combined  efforts  of  the  army  and 
navy,  as  thus  represented;  some  were  captured,  while  a  few,  in 
cluding  the  gallant  leader,  of  whom  we  shall  hear  again,  escaped 
across  the  river  to  the  main  command. 

As  soon  as  the  Confederates  were  perceived  upon  the  southern 
bank  of  the  river,  the  gunboats  opened  fire  upon  them  ;  but  the 
high  bluffs  which  there  overhang  the  river  on  the  Kentucky 
shore  afforded  an  excellent  position  for  Morgan's  artillery;  and 
the  grim,  black  crafts  were  soon  driven  off.  By  midnight  of  the 
eighth,  the  entire  command  had  crossed  the  river;  the  militia 
retreating  rapidly  before  them.  A  popular  song  of  the  day, 


328 


Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan. 


Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan.  329 

among  the  Union  people,  was  a  parody  on  the  finest  lyric  of  the 
War,  and  began  thus  : 

"  John  Morgan's  foot  is  on  thy  shore, 

Kentucky,  O  Kentucky ; 

His  hand  is  on  thy  stable-door, 

Kentucky,  O  Kentucky." 

It  simply  reflected,  as  most  such  songs  do,  the  popular  idea 
regarding  its  hero ;  he  was  a  robber,  an  incendiary,  come  to 
steal  and  ruin,  not  to  fight.  There  is,  of  course,  much  truth  in 
the  plea  put  forth  by  Gen.  Duke,  that  the  nature  of  the  service 
attracted  to  the  command  many  men  who  came  merely  for  the 
sake  of  plunder,  and  who  could  not  be  deterred,  by  any  effort  of 
their  officers,  from  securing  it.  There  is  another  point  to  be 
considered:  As  destruction  of  property  which  may  afford  as 
sistance  of  any  kind  to  the  enemy  is  a  legitimate  object  of  war; 
harrying  this  portion  of  the  country  was  no  more  guerilla  war 
fare  than  were  the  Federal  raids  in  the  Southern  States.  So 
much  allowance  must  be  made ;  but  when  it  is  made,  even  the 
historian,  who  was  Morgan's  lieutenant  and  successor  in  com 
mand,  admits  that  much  mischief  was  done  for  which  no  neces 
sity  existed.  For  instance,  a  bird-cage  and  its  tenants  are  hard 
ly  to  be  missed  by  the  enemy  or  valuable  to  the  captor;  and  a 
man  who,  in  July,  carries  off  half-a-dozen  pairs  of  skates,  can 
scarcely  be  said  to  be  driven  thereto  by  stern  necessity.  Yet 
both  were  taken. 

Over  the  wires,  before  they  had  fairly  landed,  flashed  the 
ominous  words:  "Morgan  is  in  Indiana."  The  message  struck 
terror  to  the  hearts  of  all  who  heard  it,  and  the  wildest  confu 
sion  prevailed  through  the  entire  state.  In  case  of  a  flood, 
each  man  stays  in  his  house  until  the  last  moment,  feeling  as 
sured  that  the  river  will  certainly  fall  before  it  can  injure  him 
or  his  property;  but  in  case  of  an  invasion,  such  as  this,  no  one 
waits  for  the  invader  to  be  driven  back;  every  one  flies  be 
fore  him.  Even  the  militia  were  no  exceptions  to  the  general 
rule,  and  the  militiaman's  courage  is  proverbially  equal  to  the 
truthfulness  of  an  amateur  fisherman. 

Everywhere  people  fled  from  their  homes,  taking  with  them 
all  valuables  that  could  be  carried  off.  The  press  denounced  the 
military  authorities  for  having  permitted  Morgan  to  cross  the 
river — let  the  war  be  carried  on  any  place  but  here;  while  the 
military  authorities  excused  themselves  by  stating  that  the  in- 


830  Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan 

vaders  far  outnumbered  any  Union  forces  which  could  be 
brought  into  the  field  at  such  short  notice.  Although  this  was 
so  far  from  being  true  that  Morgan's  men  numbered  less  than 
one-fourth  of  the  militia  sent  against  him  by  Indiana  alone,  he 
endeavored  to  confirm  them  in  their  own  statements  by  making 
his  force  appear  much  larger  than  it  really  was. 

The  Confederates  advanced  rapidly  towards  the  eastern 
boundary  of  the  state,  and  by  one  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  13th,  they  had  entered  Ohio,  and  reached  Hamilton.  Up  to 
this  time,  every  man  within  two  hundred  miles  of  the  line  of 
march  had  anxiously  watched  the  course  of  the  column'  fearing 
that  some  rapid  movement,  totally  unexpected,  might  bring  it 
full  upon  his  own  town.  But  now,  this  feeling  of  uncertainty 
was,  to  a  great  extent,  ended.  Some  breathed  more  freely,  as 
they  felt  that  some  degree  of  safety  was  assured  them,  for  a 
while  at  least;  and  the  people  of  the  doomed  city  gave  them 
selves  up  to  blank  despair.  There  was  absolutely  no  hope  for 
it.  Cincinnati  was,  beyond  a  doubt,  his  objective  point,  and  the 
Queen  City  would  be  laid  waste. 

Such  was  the  rapidity  with  which  he  moved,  and  the  difficul 
ty  with  which  information  was  obtained  in  a  country  so  bitterly 
hostile,  that  Morgan  could  not  ascertain  how  large  a  force  was 
stationed  at  Cincinnati,  and  he  therefore  dared  not  attack  it. 
Besides,  there  was  no  reason  why  he  should  do  so;  the  capture 
of  it  could  do  him  no  good ;  it  would  simply  be  an  elephant  on 
his  hands,  and  he  was  not  in  the  menagerie  business.  Having  de 
termined,  then,  to  pass  the  city  without  molesting  it,  it  became 
necessary  for  him  to  use  the  utmost  speed  in  order  to  escape  at- 
tack  himself.  At  four  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  14th,  they 
reached  Williamsburg,  twenty-eight  miles  east  of  Cincinnati, 
having  accomplished  nearly  one  hundred  miles  in  thirty-five 
hours. 

The  men  had  been  worn  out  when  they  passed  Cincinnati, many 
of  them  being  fast  asleep  in  their  saddles,  and  it  was  an  impera 
tive  necessity  that  they  should  halt  here  for  a  night's  rest.  By 
daylight  they  were  again  in  the  saddle,  moving  forward  over  the 
terrified  state.  Every  effort  was  made  to  retard  their  advance; 
the  populous  state  poured  forth  thousands  of  men  to  defend  her 
own  soil;  every  road  swarmed  with  militia,  who  were  driven 
back  only  with  difficulty  after  they  had  placed  almost  impass 
able  barriers  in  the  path  of  the  invader.  Every  day  the  resist- 


Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan.  331 

ance  became  more  determined  ;  everyday  the  numbers  of  the 
state  troops  increased,  while  those  of  the  Confederates  dimin 
ished  ;  and  at  last,  almost  worn  out  by  the  long  and  rapid  march, 
but  still  exultant  as  they  thought  of  the  end  they  had  accom 
plished,  Morgan  and  his  men  were  ready  to  recross  the  Ohio, 
and  return  via  Kentucky,  to  the  bounds  of  the  Confederacy. 

It  was  8  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  July  18th,  that  Buffington 
was  reached.  This  was  one  of  the  points  at  which  the  fording 
had  been  examined  some  time  in  the  previous  May;  and  those 
who  had  performed  that  work  had  reported  that  the  river  would 
be  easily  forded  at  this  point-when  the  water  was  at  the  stage 
usual  in  July.  Their  judgment  was  based  on  a  knowledge  of 
the  river  for  twenty  years,  during  which  time  it  had  invariably 
been  low  during  the  summer  months.  But  now,  by  a  strange 
piece  of  bad  luck,  the  river  had  risen;  swollen  by  the  summer 
rains,  it  was  too  deep  to  be  forded  ;  they  had  no  other  means  of 
reaching  the  Kentucky  side;  and  the  presence  of  numberless 
gunboats  warned  them  that  an  attempt  to  cross  on  rafts  or  in 
open  boats  of  any  kind  would  be  worse  than  useless. 

As  they  waited  at  Buffington  for  an  opportunity  to  cross,  their 
situation  hourly  became  more  desperate.  The  enemy  was  clos 
ing  around  them;  the  command  was  being  scattered  ;  they  were 
bushwhacked  and  harassed  on  every  side.  Gen.  Duke,  with  a 
considerable  force  of  which  he  was  in  command,  was  captured  on 
the  19th.  Col.  Johnson,  with  three  hundred  men,  was  more  for 
tunate,  since  they  escaped  by  swimming  the  river  and  making 
their  way  through  "West  Virginia.  By  these  and  the  losses  pre 
viously  suffered,  the  force  remaining  to  the  commanding  general 
was  now  less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  men.  Capture  was  in 
evitable,  and  yet  he  hardly  dared  to  surrender,  for  he  feared  that 
he  would  never  be  exchanged.  Resolved  to  fight  to  the  last,  he 
led  his  handful  of  men  towards  Salemsville;  now  advancing,  now 
retreating,  constantly  skirmishing  with  forces  far  outnumbering 
his  own. 

The  news  of  Gettysburg  had  already  reached  the  Confederates, 
who  were  thus  fighting  for  their  very  lives.  It  was  this  tidings 
that  led  Morgan  to  fear  to  surrender;  for  the  number  of  prison 
ers  in  the  hands  of  the  Federals  was  so  much  increased  that  he 
suspected  the  cartel  would  be  broken.  He  desired,  then,  to  make 
special  terms  before  giving  himself  up,  and  actually  did  so,  Capt. 
Burbeck,  a  militia  officer,  receiving  his  surrender.  But  the  terms 


332 


Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan. 


were  repudiated  by  Gen.  Shackleford,  who  was  in  command  of 
the  Federal  forces  in  the  vicinity  of  Salemsville,  and  the  prison 
er  was  treated  as  if  he  had  made  an  unconditional  surrender  of 
himself  and  troops. 

The  authorities  at  Cincinnati  had  already  been  severely  repri 
manded  by  Secretary-of-War  Stanton  because  Gen.  Duke  and  the 
officers  captured  with  him  had  been  sent  to  Johnson's  Island,  a 
purely  military  prison,  instead  of  being  confined  in  the  Ohio 
penitentiary.  G-en.  Morgan's  protests,  therefore,  against  being 

subjected  to 
the  indignity 
of  an  incar 
ceration  in 
the  police 
station,  were 
useless;  the 
head  of  the 
Department 
must  be  rig 
idly  obeyed. 
Gen.  Rose- 
crans  having 
intimated  to 
Gov.  Tod,  of 

Harassed  Raiders.  Ohio,    that 

there  was  no  military  prison  sufficiently  secure  for  the  daring 
men  that  had  been  captured,  the  civil  official  proffered  the  use 
of  the  penitentiary  at  Columbus,  until  other  provision  could  be 
made.  To  this  building,  then,  the  Confederate  officers  were  con 
veyed  j  the  warden  being  directed  to  keep  them  separate  from 
the  convicts,  to  provide  them  with  necessities  of  food  and  cloth 
ing,  and  to  impose  only  such  restrictions  on  them  as  might  bo 
necessary  for  the  sake  of  security.  But  it  is  not  our  purpose  to 
trace  the  daily  round  of  their  prison  life,  nor  to  explain  their 
treatment  farther  than  is  absolutely  necessary  for  a  proper  un 
derstanding  of  their  ensuing  effort  to  escape. 

The  prisoners,  sixty-eight  in  number  after  the  consolidation 
of  all  parties,  were  confined  in  the  first  and  second  ranges  of 
cells  in  the  south  side  of  the  east  wing ;  the  north  side,  and  the 
higher  ranges  of  the  south,  being  unoccupied.  During  the  day 
they  were  allowed  the  liberty  of  the  narrow  passage  upon  which 


Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan. 

their  cells  opened;  but  they  were  required  to  be  in  their  cells 
by  7  o'clock  every  night,  when  every  door  was  locked,  after  the 
warden  or  his  deputy  had  looked  in  the  apartment  to  see  that  its 
proper  occupant  was  there. 

With  such  precautions,  it  appeared  almost  impossible  for  them 
to  escape  from  a  slighter  building.  But  even  admitting  that  they 
might  be  able  to  deceive  the  warden  and  his  deputies,  how  could 
they,  without  tools  of  any  kind,  hope  to  tunnel  the  stone  pave 
ment  and  the  immense  walls  of  the  penitentiary  ?  It  seemed,  in 
deed,  a  hopeless  case  to  most  of  them;  but  one,  the  same  Capt. 
Hines  who  had  raided  "  north  of  the  Cumberland/'  and  who  has 
since  worn  the  ermine  as  the  chief-justice  of  Kentucky,  had 
heard  something  of  a  peculiarity  in  construction  which  might 
render  it  possible  for  them  to  tunnel. 

The  chief  warden,  Morion,  was  a  narrow-minded,  tyrannical 
man,  generally  disliked  by  the  military  prisoners  as  well  as  by 
the  convicts ;  but  among  his  deputies  was  one  familiarly  known 
as  "  old  man  Hevay,"  whose  many  kindnesses  and  general  good 
nature  stood  out  in  strong  contrast  to  the  petty  meannesses  of  his 
chief.  To  him  Capt.  Hines  addressed  himself,  hoping  to  set  the 
old  man  on  his  favorite  hobby,  and  thus  find  outwhat  he  wanted 
to  know. 

"Good-day,  Hevay;  pretty  wet  weather  outside,  isn't  it?" 

"O,  it's  very  wet  weather  we're  having  this  fall,  Captain. 
You  folks  in  here  don't  know  how  much  rain  we've  been 
having." 

"  That's  a  fact,  we're  in  out  of  the  wet,  sure  enough.  Indeed, 
we  don't  suffer  from  it  in  any  way.  The  cells  are  not  even 
damp." 

"No  sir,  they're  right  dry,  they  are  right  dry,  sir,  every  one." 

"  Yes,  I've  noticed  that  there  isn't  even  any  dampness  on  the 
floors  of  the  cells  in  the  first  range.  That's  rather  remarkable, 
isn't  it?" 

"Well,  I  don't  know  as  it's  so  remarkable;  it's  a  well  built 
edifice,  sir.  I  tell  you,  sir,  this  Ohio  penitentiary  is  the  best 
building  in  the  country,  sir.  The  Capitol  at  Washington  don't 
begin  to  come  up  to  it;  and  Westminster  Abbey,  that  the  Brit 
ishers  make  such  a  darned  fuss  about,  don't  begin  to  come  up 
to  it.  Do  you  know  why  the  cells  in  the  first  range  are  so  dry  ?" 

"Is  it  because  they  have  such  a  thick,  cemented  floor?" 

"Well,  the  floor  is  pretty  thick — eighteen  inches  of  concrete, 


334  Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan. 

but  the  dampness  will  work  through  the  thickest  floor  in  the 
world  if  it's  laid  flat  on  the  ground.  There's  an  air-chamber 
four  feet  high  under  the  whole  wing.  That's  what  keeps  it  so  dry, 
sir." 

This  was  a  confirmation  of  the  wildest  hopes  that  the  soldier 
had  dared  to  entertain  •  but  he  answered,  with  a  careless  laugh  : 

"No  wonder  we  don't  get  wet,  then.  But  I  reckon  we'd  all 
rather  sleep  on  damp  ground  as  soldiers  than  be  kept  so  dry  as 
prisoners." 

"So  I  suppose,  sir,  so  I  suppose,"  assented  the  old  man, 
nodding  good-naturedly  as  he  went  on  his  way  to  attend  to  his 
duties. 

Having  ascertained  this  much  in  regard  to  the  structure  of  the 
building,  the  next  difficulty  was  to  obtain  tools  with  which  to 
perforate  the  eighteen-inch  concrete  floor  to  the  air-chamber. 
Their  cells  were  inspected  every  day,  and  it  would  be  impossi 
ble  to  tunnel  directly  from  them  without  being  discovered;  but 
they  could  work  by  relays  in  the  air-chamber,  and  manage  so 
carefully  that  no  one  man  woulcj  be  absent  from  the  corridor  for 
any  suspicious  length  of  time.  The  problem  of  tools  was  solved 
by  the  abstraction  of  two  knives  from  the  dinner  table ;  more 
they  dared  not  take,  for  fear  that  the  loss  would  be  detected. 
The  blades,  though  but  small,  were  keen;  and  were  cut  off 
square  at  the  end,  instead  of  being  rounded 'or  pointed,  a^  are 
most  table-knives.*  The  shape  was  intended  to  make  them  less 
useful  than  a  pointed  instrument  would  be,  in  case  any  should 
be  secreted  by  prisoners  intent  upon  escape  ;  but  they  could  not 
have  been  better  adapted  to  the  purpose,  being,  to  all  intents, 
excellent  chisels. 

Work  was  begun  in  Capt.  Hines'  cell,  under  the  iron  bedstead, 
which  could  be  hung  against  the  wall  or  let  down  at  pleasure. 
The  substances  removed  were  put  in  the  stove  ,or  concealed  in 
their  beds,  and  it  was  not  long  before  there  was  a  hole  in  the 
solid  floor  large  enough  to  admit  a  man's  body  into  the  air- 
chamber.  A  carpet-bag,  carelessly  thrown  down  in  the  corner 
of  the  room,  hid  the  aperture  during  the  day.  A  single  kick  at 
the  valise  might  have  blasted  all  their  hopes,  and  sent  all  in  the 
first  range  to.  the  dungeons.  * 

They  could  make  but  slow  progress  until  the  air-chamber  was 
reached,  for  though  speed  wtis  desirable,  it  was  necessary  to 
keep  the  guards  in  their  present  state  of  security.  But  when  it 


Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan.  335 

was  once  possible  for  the  workmen  to  be  out  of  sight,  the  work 
progressed  more  rapidly.  To  prevent  all  suspicion,  each  labored 
for  only  an  hour  at  a  time  ;  pickets  were  posted,  and  an  ingeni 
ous  system  of  signals  arranged,  so  that  any  one  who  happened 
to  be  below  might  be  speedily  recalled  to  the  upper  air  in  case 
of  being  asked  for  by  the  officials  of  the  prison. 

Among  so  many,  one  or  two  men  were  hardly  likely  to  be 
missed  if  absent  only  for  an  hour — they  might  be  in  their  cells, 
or  unobserved  in  one  part  of  the  corridor  or  exercise  ground 
while  the  warden  was  in  another;  but  once  the  absence  of  one 
came  very  near  being  detected. 

"Where's  Capt.  Hockersmith  ?"  inquired  one  of  the  turnkeys, 
called  Scott,  or,  familiarly,  Scotty. 

"  He's  not  at  all  well,  this  morning,  and  is  lying  down.  Are 
you  in  a  hurry,  Scotty  ?  Because  if  you  are  not,  I'd  like  to  ask 
your  opinion  about  this  memorial." 

It  was  G-en.  Morgan  himself  who  spoke,  and  his  tone  was  so 
natural  in  its  ease  and  tinconoern  that  Scotty  was  completely 
taken  in. 

"O,  certainly  not,  G-eneral,  certainly  not.  No  hurry  at  all, 
sir.  What  is  the  memorial,  sir?"  he  asked,  very  much  flatter 
ed  at  the  idea  of  being  thus  consulted. 

"  Its  one  that  I've  drawn  up  to  send  to  Washington,  regarding 
our  removal  to  a  military  prison.  Here  it  is;  will  you  be  good 
enough  to  look  it  over?" 

The  poor  deluded  Scotty  took  the  paper  and  looked  at  it  for 
a  few  moments  as  wisely  as  an  owl  looks  at  the  great  book  if 
nature;  and  gained,  perhaps,  about  the  same  quantity  of  inform 
ation.  In  the  meantime,  Hockersmith,  who,  as  the  reader  has  al 
ready  guessed,  was  at  work  in  the  air-chamber,  had  been  sum 
moned  to  the  upper  regions  by  the  appointed  signal,  and  now 
made  his  appearance;  and  a  very  sorry  and  sickly  appearance 
it  was,  for  he  had  been  warned  of  the  part  he  was  to  play. 
Scotty  gave  back  the  paper,  with  the  sage  remark  that  he  thought 
it  would  do,  and  turned  to  the  sick  (?)  man  without  a  suspicion 
of  the  reason  why  Gen.  Morgan  had  asked  his  opinion  of  the 
memorial. 

But  Scotty  was  destined  to  render  them  a  real,  tangible  ser 
vice,  rather  than  to  discover  the  plan  of  escape.  They  were 
wholly  ignorant  of  the  lay  of  the  land  immediately  around  the 
walls  of  the  penitentiary,  and  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that 


336  Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan. 

they  should  reconnoiter.  To  do  this  at  second-hand  was  impos 
sible,  for  not  only  would  such  questions  excite  suspicion,  but 
they  could  not  obtain  sufficiently  minute  information  in  that 
Way.  Plans  were  cleverly  laid,  and  Scotty,  who  was  in  charge 
during  the  day,  was  engaged  in  conversation  on  a  subject  of 
which  he  never  tired  ;  being  nothing  else  than  the  remarkable 
escape  of  two  convicts  some  years  before. 

"Yes,  sir/'  he  said  to  Gen.  Morgan,  "they  climbed  up  the 
railings  of  the  balconies  in  front  of  the  cells  there,  and  got  out 
on  the  roof  through  the  skylight.  There  ain't  two  other  men 
in  the  world  that  could  do  it,  either,  sir." 

"  O,  come,  Scotty,  you  think  too  highly  of  the  escaped  convicts. 
That  wouldn't  be  so  hard  a  task  for  an  active  man.  Why,  Capt. 
Sam.  Taylor,  as  little  as  he  is,  could  do  it.  The  trouble  in  escap 
ing,  I  should  think,  was  after  they  got  on  the  roof.  At  least,  I 
shouldn't  like  to  try  it." 

"Well,  if  Captain  Taylor  thinks  he  can  climb  up  to  that  sky 
light  and  git  on  to  the  roof,  he  kin  jest  try  it,  that's  all.  I'd  like 
to  see  it,  for  my  part." 

"Are  you  in  earnest,  Scotty?"  asked  Capt.  Taylor,  who  was 
of  course,  near  by;  "  may  I  try  it?" 

"  Yes,  try  it,"  answered  the  turnkey,  doggedly  $  "but  you'll 
not  git  on  to  the  roof.  You'll  find  it  ain't  so  easy  as  it  looks." 

Captain  Taylor  was  a  short,  slight  man,  but  very  strong  and 
active.  No  sooner  had  the  desired  permission  been  obtained 
than  he  proceeded  to  make  use  of  it;  and  despite  Scotty's  assur 
ances  of  failure,  was  soon  airing  himself  at  the  top  of  the  building. 
Apparently  looking  about  him  only  as  a  man  who  had  been  in 
close  confinement  for  months  would  naturally  do,  he  really  ob 
tained  a  very  correct  idea  of  the  prison  surroundings.  Of  course 
not  many  minutes  could  be  spent  thus;  and  he  soon  descended; 
but  he  had  accomplished  all  that  was  desired. 

The  work  went  rapidly  on ;  two  or  three  of  the  immense  stones 
which  formed  the  wall  of  the  air-chamber  were  removed,  and  the 
tunneling  through  the  earth  began.  "  Fortune  favors  the  brave," 
and  just  at  the  juncture  when  it  was  most  needed,  a  rusty  spade 
came  into  their  possession.  The  manner  of  obtaining  it  was  so 
characteristic  of  the  whole  attempt  that  we  cannot  omit  the 
story.  It  was  early  in  the  morning,  and  they  had  passed  out 
tnto  the  yard  for  the  usual  ablutions.  Two  long  troughs,  filled 
with  water,  were  placed  along  the  walls  of  the  court-yard,  and 


Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan.  337 

the  men  washed  at  these,  first  one  relay,  and  then  another. 
While  waiting  to  wash,  there  was  always  a  good  deal  of  rough 
play,  and  this  morning  they  were  especially  sportive — only  by 
accident,  of  course.  It  was  equally  a  matter  of  chance  that  one 
of  them,  wore  a  loose  sack-coat,  though  the  fact  that  the  spade 
was  there  was  discovered  before  he  donned  the  unusual  gar 
ment. 

Strangely  enough,  in  a  friendly  wrestling  match,  the  wearer 
of  this  coat  was  thrown  by  his  opponent.  He  happened  to  fall 
just  upon  the  spade,  but  when  he  picked  himself  up  and  emerged 
from  the  little  group  of  five  or  six  men  that  closed  around  him, 
the  spade  was  no  longer  to  be  seen.  Somehow  or  other,  the 
wearer  of  the  sack-coat  sat  unusually  straight  and  stiff  at  break 
fast  that  morning  •  and  he  didn't  have  a  ramrod  down  his  back, 
either. 

At  any  rate,  the  spade  was  obtained,  and  the  work  progressed 
more  rapidly.  Gen.  Duke,  in  his  "History  of  Morgan's  Caval 
ry,"  does  not  indicate  any  collusion  whatever  on  the  part  of  the 
prison  officials ;  but  a  more  recent  writer,  who  speaks  as  one 
having  authority,  asserted  boldly  that  their  escape,  without  any 
assistance  from  others,  was  utterly  impossible.  The  manner  in 
which  they  obtained  possession  of  the  very  tool  most  needed 
would  seem  to  point  to  some  aid  received  from  those  in  charge. 

Removing  the  stones  from  the  wall,  they  tunneled  out  into 
the  yard,  but  met  with  their,  first  misfortune,  coming  up  directly 
under  an  immense  pile  of  coal.  This  necessitated  a  tunnel  in 
another  direction,  and  of  greater  length;  so  they  set  to  work 
manfully,  and,  in  a  little  more  than  two  weeks  after  the  day 
that  they  began  on  the  floor  of  Capt.  Hines'  cell,  the  tunnel  was 
as  nearly  complete  as  they  dared  to  make  it  before  the  very 
night  on  which  it  was  to  tie  used.  The  minor  preparations,  too, 
had  gone  on  bravely.  A  stout  hook  had  been  made  from  a 
poker;  in  some  mysterious  way,  probably  by  help  of  others, 
they  had  obtained  possession  of  other  knives  than  the  two  with 
which  they  had  dug  through  the  floor;  strong  ropes  had  been 
plaited  from  bed-quilts  torn  into  strips.  Finally,  since  the  es 
cape  must  be  made  at  night,  when  they  were  locked  into  sepa 
rate  cells,  apertures  were  made  in  the  ceiling  of  the  air-chamber 
extending  so  near  the  upper  surface  of  the  concrete  that  a  very 
slight  blow  would  be  sufficient  to  make  a  hole  like  that  already 
made  in  the  floor  of  Capt.  Hines'  cell.  Through  these,  each  man 


838  Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan. 

was  to  drop  to  the  air-chamber  beneath,  where  the  party  would 
unite. 

There  were,  as  we  have  said,  sixty-eight  officers  confined  at  that 
time  in  the  penitentiary;  but  of  these,  of  course,  not  all  could 
attempt  the  escape  for  which  all  had  worked.  Setting  aside  all 
other  difficulties  which  would  have  attended  the  getting  away  of 
a  large  party,  there  were  only  about  half  lodged  in  the  cells  in  the 
first  range,  from  which  alone  the  air-chamber  could  be  reached. 
It  is  touching  in  the  extreme  to  read  how  all  worked,  when  they 
knew  that  but  few  could  go  ;  and  that,  in  all  probability,  those 
who  remained  behind  would  pay  dearly  for  the  liberty  of  their 
comrades.  Seven  men  were  to  make  the  effort;  the  command 
ing  officer,  and  Captains  Hines,  Taylor,  Hockersmith,  Sheldon, 
Bennett  and  McG-ee.  That  Gen.  Morgan  should  be  one  of  them 
was  a  matter  of  course,  but  why  these  particular  officers  should 
be  selected  to  accompany  him,  when  men  of  far  higher  rank  in 
the  army  remained  behind,  is  not  so  easily  explained,  nor  do 
the  many  writers  on  the  subject  attempt  to  give  a  reason. 

The  work  was  completed,  and  the  seven  men  were  only  wait 
ing  for  a  favorable  opportunity.  They  must  choose  a  rainy 
night,  for  in  such  weather  the  dogs  in  the  prison  yard  would 
probably  keep  fast  in  their  kennels,  while  the  guards  would  be 
less  watchful.  The  watched-for  rain  came  at  last,  and  not  an, 
hour  too  soon,  for  they  had  heard  rumors  that  there  was  to  be  a 
change  of  military  commanders  at  Columbus.  "  A  new  broom 
sweeps  clean,"  and  the  new  commandant  might  discover  their 
tunnel.  It  was  on  the  27th  of  November,  1863,  when  they  de 
cided  that  it  was  best  to  wait  no  longer. 

Gen.  Morgan's  cell  was  in  the  second  range,  but  his  brother, 
Col.  Richard  Morgan,  was  lodged  in  the  lower  tier,  and  it  had 
long  since  been  arranged  that  each  was  to  personate  the  other 
on  this  night.  There  was  a  sufficient  resemblance  between  them 
to  enable  them  to  deceive  any  one  who  did  not  look  too  closely. 
The  guard  made  his  round  as  usual  at  7  o'clock,  flashing  the 
light  which  ne  carried  into  each  cell,  to  make  sure  that  it  was 
occupied,  then,  locking  the  door,  passed  on  to  the  next.  At  last 
this  duty  was  performed;  the  first  part  of  their  plan  had  suc 
ceeded;  he  had  not  detected  that  Gen.  and  Col.  Morgan  had  ex 
changed  cells.  Every  two  hours  he  made  the  rounds,  for  these 
were  important  prisoners,  and  caution  was  very  necessary. 

To  prevent  surprise,  the  floor  of  the  hall  had  been  carefully 


Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan.  339 

strewn  with  small  bits  of  coal ;  for  one  of  the  prison  officials  was 
fond  of  stealing  upon  them  unawares,  his  tread  being  made  noise 
less  by  means  of  his  list  slippers.  For  the  third  time  that  night 
they  heard  the  footsteps  of  the  guard,  crunching  the  coal,  die 
away,  as  he  completed  the  round  of  the  cells  and  returned  to  his 
post.  Then,  Capt.  Taylor,  dropping  down  into  the  air-chamber, 
gave  the  appointed  signal — a  tap  beneath  the  floor  of  each  of  the 
six  cells.  In  an  instant,  the  thin  crust  of  concrete  was  broken, 
and  the  rest  of  the  party  joined  him;  each  one  having  left  a 
dummy  in  his  bed,  to  deceive  the  guard  as  he  passed  in  his  rounds. 

Once  outside  the  walls  of  the  building  in  which  they  had  been 
confined,  there  was  still  another  difficulty  to  surmount;  for  the 
prison-yard  was  surrounded  by  a  wall  twenty-five  feet  high. 
But  they  were  not  unprovided  with  means  for  getting  over  this. 
The  iron  hook,  before  mentioned,  was  fixed  in  the  coping  which 
crowned  the  wall,  the  rope  made  of  the  bed-q-ailts  having  been 
first  attached  to  one  end.  They  drew  themselves  up  by  this 
means,  and  descended  by  the  same  rope  on  the  outside  of  the 
walls.  But  all  their  efforts  to  dislodge  the  hook  proved  un 
availing,  and  they  were  forced  to  leave  that  and  the  rope. at 
tached  to  the  wall. 

Whether,  with  several  large,  fierce  dogs,  specially  trained  for 
the  purpose  of  catching  prisoners  who  were  attempting  to  es 
cape,  ranging  the  prison  yard,  and  with  two  sentinels,  fully 
armed,  who  couldPnot  be  more  than  a  hundred  feet  away  from 
them,  the  obscurity  of  a  stormy  night  would  be  sufficient  to  hide 
their  efforts,  is  a  question  for  the  reader  to  decide.  Grave  doubts 
have  been  thrown  upon  the  many  men  who  had  it  in  their  power 
to  assist  the  prisoners  ;  but  on  the  other  hand,  Gen.  Duke  asserts 
that  $15,  which  Gen.  Morgan  paid  for  a  railway  time-table,  was 
the  only  money  used  in  effecting  their  escape.  But  this  very 
assertion  (on  which,  be  it  understood,  we  wish  to  cast  no  suspi 
cion)  shows  that  some  help  must  have  been  given;  that  some 
one  within  the  prison  walls,  besides  the  Confederates  there  con 
fined,  knew  of  the  contemplated  attempt  to  escape.  Who  pro 
cured  the  time-table?  It  was  not  forwarded  by  stealth  by  an 
outside  friend,  or  it  would  have  cost  them  nothing.  If  it  was 
furnished  by  any  of  the  prison  officials,  how  much  more  did  he 
do  to  assist  them? 

Once  having  reached  the  outside  of  the  wall,  they  separated 
into  three  small  parties,  Gen.  Morgan  and  Capt.  Hines  forming 
22 


340 


Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan. 


one.  These  two  went  boldly  into  the  ticket  office  of  the  Little 
Miami  Kailroad,  and  bought  tickets  for  Cincinnati.  A  friendly 
conversation  which  they  were  wary  enough  to  strike  up  with  a 

Federal  officer  who 
chanced  to  be  traveling 
on  the  same  train  saved 
them  from  all  suspicion 
on  the  part  of  the  train 
officials  or  other  passen 
gers.  It  was  daylight 
when  they  reached  the 
suburbs  of  Porkopolis; 
and  leaving  the  train  be 
fore  it  reached  the  city, 
under  the  pretext  that 
they  lived  out  there,  they 
walked  to  the  river  and 
hired  a  boy  to  row  them 
across. 

Once  in  Kentucky, 
they  were  safe;  for  Gen. 
Morgan  was  so  popular 
among  the  Southern  peo 
ple  there  that  they  would 
make  any  effort  to  insure 
his  escape.  It  was  not 
long  before  they  were 
safe  at  the  Confederate 
headquarters  in  Tenn 
essee.  In  the  meantime 
the  rope  hanging  over 
the  outer  wall  of  the  pris 
on-yard  had  attracted  at 
tention  as  soon  as  the  day 
broke ;  the  alarm  was 
given,  and  the  prison 
was  searched,  only  to 
The  Escape.  prove  that  the  bird  had 

flown.  No  effort  was  spared,  now  that  the  most  important  pris 
oner  had  escaped,  to  guard  against  the  others  following  his 
example;  the  most  sensible  of  the  precautions  being  the  remov- 


Capture  and  Escape  of  Morgan.  341 

al  of  all  from  the  first  range  of  cells.  It  was  the  old  story — "The 
stable-door  was  shut  after  the  horse  got  away." 

But  though  the  man  had  regained  his  liberty,  the  charm  of  his 
name  was  broken;  he  was  no  longer  the  invincible  Morgan,  at 
tracting  to  his  standard  more  men  than  he  could  arm  and  equip, 
and  striking  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the  enemy.  The  prestige 
of  success  was  dimmed  by  his  capture  and  imprisonment;  and 
though  he  rallied  his  men  and  prepared  for  more  work  like  that 
already  done,  he  never  again  rode  such  a  raid  as  the  earlier  one 
into  Kentucky  or  the  later  one  whose  history  we  have  traced. 
Indeed,  there  was  not  much  more  time  remaining  to  him;  for  on 
the  4th  of  September,  1864,  less  than  ten  months  after  his  escape, 
he  fell,  pierced  to  the  heart  by  the  bullet  of  a  Federal  sharp 
shooter. 


A  PERILOUS  JOURNEY. 

Necessity  for  the  Trip — Volunteers — The  Extra  Tallow  Cans — Running  the  Batter 
ies — Pursuit — The  Obstacles — Useless  Efforts — The  Fireman's  Plan — Oiling  the 
Track — Pursuit  Baffled— Escape — Delivery  of  the  Dispatches. 

~T~T  was  the  summer  of  1863.  The  "Kock  of  Chickamauga"  had 
j  not  yet  earned  the  name,  but  was  simply  Brig. -Gen.  Thomas, 
endeavoring  to  hold  his  own  against  the  very  force  of  Confeder 
ates  he  was  yet  to  annihilate.  Intrenched  upon  a  spur  of  the 
hills  around  Chattanooga,  the  Federal  soldiers  were  exhausted 
by  hard  fighting  and  long  marches.  Help  must  come  soon,  or 
they  would  be  conquered  by  the  Confederates  or  by  starvation. 
But  from  what  quarter  was  help  to  come  ?  Or  how  was  any  in 
formation  of  their  danger  to  penetrate  the  lines  which  Bragg  was 
daily  drawing  closer  and  closer  around  the  apparently  doomed 
force  ? 

Forty  miles  to  the  eastward  of  the  position  they  held  there 
was  a  body  of  thirty  thousand  men,  commanded  by  G-en.  Stock 
ton.  That  officer  had  been  ordered  to  hold  a  certain  pass  in  the 
mountains  until  further  orders,  and  Gen.  Thomas  knew  him  well 
enough  to  know  that  unless  those  orders  were  sent,  the  pass 
would  be  held.  Yet  if  the  danger  of  the  main  corps  were  but 
made  known  to  this  large  detachment,  help  would  come;  other 
wise  they  would  be  attacked  separately  and  beaten  in  detail. 

No  messenger  could  elude  the  wary  foe,  no  force  they  could 
send  would  be  strong  enough  to  defy  him  and  keep  the  dispatch 
es  from  his  hands.  The  only  practicable  plan  was  to  make  one 
bold  dash  and  carry  the  message  through  by  sheer  speed;  pro 
viding,  always,  the  bearers  were  not  killed  on  the  way.  The 
Confederates,  confident  of  their  own  strength,  had  not  destroyed 

342 


A  Perilous  Journey.  343 

the  railroad  line  between  the  two  Federal  camps;  an  engine 
might  be  run  through.  True,  the  importance  of  this  road  had 
not  been  overlooked  by  the  Bebs,  for  both  sides  of  the  track 
were  lined  with  guards;  but  drowning  men  catch  at  straws;  and 
in  the  black  waters  of  despair  which  were  surging  about  them, 
the  Federals  saw  no  other  means  of  saving  themselves. 

There  were  but  few  engines  at  G-en.  Thomas'  disposal,  the  more 
powerful  being  in  the  hands  of  the  Confederates;  but  the  best 
of  these  few  was  selected  and  made  ready  for  the  perilous  jour 
ney.  An  adjutant,  Capt. ,  was  to  be  the  bearer  of  the  dis 
patches.  Two  of  the  men,  who  had  left  the  railroad  to  volunteer 
as  soldiers,  oifered  their  services  as  engineer  and  fireman.  No 
more  were  necessary,  for  an  escort  could  not  protect  them  against 
an  army,  and  any  superfluous  weight  it  was  judged  would  but  re 
tard  their  speed. 

Night  was  selected  as  the  best  time  for  the  purpose,  and  at  half 
past  ten,  on  an  evening  when  no  moon  would  betray  them  to  the 
enemy  as  a  target,  when  even  the  stars  were  covered  by  heavy 
clouds,  they  were  to  set  out.  They  were  brave  men,  but  they 
shook  hands  with  their  comrades  and  bade  them  good-by,  as  if 
they  never  expected  to  return,  and  each  had  left  with  some  con 
fidential  friend  a  letter  to  be  sent  if  he  were  not  heard  from  in  a 
given  time.  It  was  better  to  die  thus,  however,  than  to  starve 
or  surrender ;  and  though  it  was  but  a  chance  in  a  thousand,  they 
could  not  afford  to  lose  even  that  one  of  saving  the  army. 

"Put  in  a  couple  of  extra  tallow  cans,  John/'  said  the  engineer 
ho  the  fireman,  "for  we'll  need  an  extra  allowance.  She  must 
make  good  time  on  this  trip." 

The  wisdom  of  the  precaution  was  seen;  such  speed  as  was 
necessary  would  rack  the  engine  terribly  if  there  were  not  plen 
ty  of  tallow ;  and  provided  with  the  extra  quantity,  they  mount 
ed  to  the  caboose,  the  throttle  valve  was  opened,  and  they  moved 
off;  the  noise  of  the  engine  the  only  sound,  though  the  whole 
corps  was  watching.  Two  miles  away  lay  the  first  battery;  so 
much  they  knew  ;  but  how  many  more  there  were,  or  how  many 
riflemen  were  posted  along  the  road,  they  had  no  means  of  tell 
ing.  Slowly  they  moved  onward;  they  were  half  a  mile  from 
their  starting  point  when  a  report  suddenly  broke  the  stillness 
of  the  night,  and  a  bullet  whizzed  past  them.  It  was  the  first 
salute  from  the  enemy's  outposts,  the  first  chord  in  the  prelude 
to  what  might  be  the  dead  march. 


344  A  Perilous  Journey. 

The  ball  crashed  through  the  window  of  the  caboose,  but  fortu 
nately,  struck  no  one.  There  was  but  one  thing  to  be  done — 
the  road  was  too  closely  guarded  for  them  to  slip  through;  the 
Confederates  knew  that  there  was  an  enemy  on  the  track  ;  the 
little  engine  must  be  put  to  her  utmost  speed,  that  the  flying 
balls  might  miss  their  aim,  that  she  might  dash  untouched  past 
unwary  gunners.  Vain  hope!  The  pressure  of  steam  was  in 
creased — the  engine  bounded  along  with  great  leaps,  swaying 
now  to  one  side,  now  to  the  other,  but  thick  and  fast  came  the 
whir  of  the  bullets,  as  the  alarm  was  spread  among  the  watchful 
Southerners. 

Through  the  darkness  they  could  see  the  lights  flashing  here 
and  there  at  a  certain  point  ahead  of  them — it  was  the  first  bat 
tery,  and  the  gunners  were  making  ready  for  a  warm  reception 
of  the  three  men  on  the  engine.  The  locomotive  thundered  by 
and  the  guns  belched  forth  their  fire  ;  a  solid  shot  was  followed 
by  a  shower  of  grape  that  cut  the  framework  of  the  caboose  al 
most  to  pieces,  but,  luckily,  struck  no  vital  part  of  the  engine  and 
missed  the  men  upon  her. 

The  men  stood  resolutely  at  their  posts,  as  the  shot  whistled 
around  them  ;  and  their  only  reply  was  to  urge  the  engine  to  yet 
greater  speed.  A  parting  salute  from  the  battery,  as  they  whirl' 
ed  onward,  cut  the  support  of  the  bell,  which  was  carried,  clang 
ing  as  it  was  borne  onward,  into  the  bushes  by  the  force  of  the 
missile.  They  were  out  of  the  range  of  that  battery ;  they  had  in 
deed  leaped  out  of  the  frying  pan,  like  certain  foolish  fish ;  but  it 
was  into  the  fire.  The  junction  of  this  road  with  another  was  pro 
tected  by  two  batteries,  past  which  they  were  now  to  run.  This 
junction  was  an  important  point,  and  there  were  a  number  of 
tracks;  upon  one  of  which — horrible  sight — there  was  an  engine 
standing,  ready  fired  up,  and  headed  for  the  east. 

"  Then  and  there  was  hurrying  to  and  fro  ;" 

and  although  the  shots  from  these  batteries  were  not  so  well 
aimed  as  those  previously  fired,  there  was  this  other,  this  worse 
danger  to  face.  The  Confederates  rapidly  coupled  a  car  to  this 
engine,  and  the  Federals  had  hardly  passed  when  the  exciting 
chase  began. 

"More  fire,  John/'  cried  the  engineer,  as  he  saw  that  the  bat 
teries  were  again  ready  for  action.  "Earn  her  full — it's  neck  or 
nothing  with  us  now." 

But  the  words  were  hardly  uttered  when  a  cooler  or  more  ex- 


346 


A  Perilous  Journey. 


A  Perilous  Journey. 

perienced  gunnci-  took  aim,  and  a  shell  burst  nearly  directly 
over  them.  It  was  a  miracle  that  they  escaped  ;  but  though  the 
roof  of  the  caboose  was  shattered,  and  the  fireman  lay  wounded 
on  the  floor,  the  engine  was  not  disabled.  His  place,  however, 
was  assumed  by  the  ofiicer,  and  although  a  shot  or  two  was  sent 
after  them,  they  were  already  beyond  the  range  of  the  batteries, 
and  the  shots  spent  themselves  harmlessly  in  the  air.  As  they 
heard  the  last  one,  and  knew  by  the  faintness  of  the  report  that 
they  were  out  of  range,  the  officer  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief. 

"We're  safe  now/'  he  said  to  his  companions;  "that  is  certain 
ly  their  last  battery."  "Yes,"  he  added,  as  a  bullet  whizzed 
through  the  broken  windows  of  the  cab,  "that  is  from  the  pick 
et  on  this  side  their  camp." 

The  engineer  looked  steadily  forward  into  the  night,  half 
smiling  as  he  thought  that  that  letter  need  never  be  sent  to  tell 
that  he  had  died  in  trying  to  save  his  comrades.  But  the 
wounded  fireman  had  raised  himself  on  one  arm,  and  now  a  groan 
burst  from  his  lips. 

"  Is  your  wound  so  bad,  John  ?"  asked  the  engineer,  his  face 
suddenly  becoming  grave  again. 

"'Taint  that,"  replied  John,  briefly;  "  it's  worse  ;  they're  fol 
lowing  us.  Listen !" 

The  captain  turned  to  the  engineer  with  a  pitying  smile  on 
his  lips;  surely  the  poor  fellow  was  delirious  with  pain.  But 
the  other  had  turned,  startled,  to  listen ;  and  he  shook  his  head 
gravely  in  reply. 

"It's  true,  sir;  every  word  of  it;  they've  got  out  that  engine 
at  the  junction,  and  are  after  us." 

"But  they  cannot  overtake  us,  surely;  not  even  so  nearly  as 
to  get  within  pistol  shot.  You  know  the  road,  don't  you?  There 
need  be  no  stoppages  on  that  account." 

"Nary  stoppage,  sir;  know  this  road  like  a  book,  for  I  used 
to  run  an  express  over  it  before  I  volunteered.  I  know  that  en 
gine,  too,  for  I  was  on  her  for  a  time.  She  was  just  put  on  a 
month  or  so  before  I  left."  And  he  shook  his  head. 

"  Is  it  a  better  engine  than  this  ?"  asked  the  captain,  his  confi 
dence  of  escape  somewhat  abated. 

"She  can  make  fifty  miles  an  hour  without  any  trouble,  and 
this  one  can't  make  forty.  Then  she's  heavier,  too,  and  has  a 
car  attached." 

"  That's  an  advantage  for  us,  though,  isn't  it?" 


348  A  Perilous  Journey. 

"No,  it's  on  the  other  side.  This  one  hasn't  anything  to  bal 
ance  her,  and  if  she  goes  too  fast,  may  leap  the  track.  She'll 
gain  on  us  at  the  rate  of  about  ten  or  fifteen  miles  an  hour,  un 
less—" 

"Unless  what?" 

"Unless  we  can  stop  her.  But  we  can't  do  that  till  we  get  on  a 
little  farther.  More  fire,  sir.  We  must  keep  her  going  as  fast 
as  we  dare." 

Not  one  of  the  three  men  thought  of  surrender  as  a  means  of 
escape;  nothing  should  prevent  the  delivery  of  the  dispatches 
but  the  strong  hand  of  death  laid  upon  all  of  them.  They  had 
been  well  chosen  for  the  task;  they  would  do  or  die.  Anxious 
ly  they  looked  back  at  the  pursuer;  she  was  indeed  gaining  up 
on  them,  rapidly,  fearfully.  Now  the  Confederates  lost  a  little 
time,  as  the  lighter  engine  flashed  over  a  long  trestle  work, 
which  the  heavier  one  must  cross  with  more  caution.  The 
flames  leaped  madly  as  the  fire  was  being  replenished,  and  the 
two  dark  figures  stood  out  in  strong  relief  against  that  glowing 
background.  The  pursuing  locomotive  thundered  on  with  re 
doubled  speed  when  the  solid  road-bed  Was  once  more  gainedj 
and  as  the  tempting  target  offered  itself,  more  than  one  bullet 
was  sent  towards  it. 

"  That's  pretty  close,"  said  the  engineer,  as  one  struck  the 
clock  and  crashed  through  the  works ;  "  it  was  meant  for  me, 
but  the  engine  swayed  so  that  no  marksman  in  the  world  could 
be  certain  of  his  aim." 

Ten  miles  more,  and  the  Federals  would  be  so  near  Stockton's 
lines  that  the  Confederates  must  turn  back ;  but  could  they  make 
that  ten  miles  ?  In  the  last  ten,  the  pursuing  engine  had  gained 
nearly  half  the  distance  which  had  separated  them — could  they 
hold  out  for  ten  miles  more,  or  would  they  be  overtaken  before 
that  time?  Fortunately,  the  fire  was  now  burning  fiercely,  and 
needed  no  immediate  replenishing;  so  that  any  shot  must  be  a 
chance  one. 

"It  will  be  all  up  with  us  in  five  miles  more,"^said  the  engi 
neer,  as  he  looked  out  into  the  darkness  and  thought  that,  after 
all,  it  was  well  that  he  had  written  that  letter;  it  would  comfort 
"the  folks"  to  have  one  from  him  telling  them  why  he  had  gone 
"into  the  jaws  of  death." 

"Isn't  there  anything  we  can  do  T*  asked  the  officer,  anxious 
ly,  as  he  glanced  backward  at  the  pursuer.  The  engineer  shook 


A  Perilous  Journey.  349 

his  head,  but  answered  not  a  word.     The  case  looked  desperate. 

"  Can't  you  throw  something  on  the  track  ?"  suggested  the 
fireman,  from  his  corner.  "  There  are  the  firebars." 

"Hurrah,  John,"  exclaimed  the  engineer,  his  face  suddenly 
lighting  up;  "  that's  the  ticket !  Captain,  can  you  climb  out  on 
the  truck  and  drop  one  across  the  track  ?  It  may  stop  them." 

The  officer,  with  one  of  the  long,  heavy  rods  in  his  hand, 
climbed  out  upon  the  truck  and  carefully  dropped  therail  across 
the  track.  He  regained  the  cab,  and  the  three  men  anxiously 
awaited  the  result — listening  breathlessly  for  the  terrible  crash 
which  would  tell  them  that  a  dozen  men,  perhaps,  had  been  sent 
into  eternity.  They  strained  their  ears  to  hear — would  the 
dreadful  welcome  sound  never  come  to  tell  them  of  their  own, 
of  their  comrades  safety?  A  clanking  noise  behind  them,  then 
a  crackling  of  the  brush  at  the  roadside — the  bar  had  been  lifted 
by  the  cow-catcher  and  thrown  aside  into  the  bushes.  The  three 
men  on  the  foremost  engine  looked  at  each  other,  then  each 
hastily  turned  their  eyes  away  again — there  was  too  terrible  a 
meaning  written  in  the  faces  of  the  others  for  any  of  them  to 
read,  and  not  give  way. 

"It  wouldn't  have  been  so  bad,"  mused  the  officer,  half  aloud, 
"to  have  been  shot  like  soldiers,  as  we  passed  the  batteries; 
but  to  be  picked  off  now  like— 

"  Sometimes  something  soft  will  stop  an  engine  quicker  than  a 
bar,"  interrupted  the  hoarse  voice  of  the  engineer;  "there's  my 
heavy  overcoat,  Captain  ;  suppose  you  try  that." 

The  overcoat  was  dropped  upon  the  track,  and  once  again 
they  breathlessly  awaited  the  result. 

"If  it  only  gets  wedged  into  the  piston  bar,  they  may  work 
all  night  before  they  can  get  it  out,"  he  said,  as  the  officer  re 
turned  to  the  cab. 

"  A  single  half  hour  will  serve  our  turn,  though;  we  must  be 
very  near  our  lines." 

"Not  so  very  near,  sir ;  though  a  half-hour  gained  would — she's 
caught,  she's  caught!"  he  broke  off,  as  his  trained  ear  caught 
the  heavy  jolting  sound  and  then  the  noise  of  the  escaping 
steam. 

Again  they  looked  at  each  other,  but  this  time  with  intense 
relief  expressed  in  their  faces.  The  fireman,  pale  and  worn  with 
the  pain  of  the  wound,  was  the  first  to  lose  the  look  that  the  engi 
neer's  words  had  called  up,  and  resume  the  old  expression  of 


350  A  Perilous  Journey. 

anxiety.    His  position  enabled  his  ear  to  catch  every  vibration. 

"It  hasn't  caught  the  piston,"  he  groaned;  "  she's  after  us  yet." 

It  was  but  too  true,  as  the  thunder  of  the  approaching  en 
gine  assured  them.  She  was  rapidly  gaining  on  them.  There 
was  no  hope  left,  no  possibility  of  escape.  A  few  mo 
ments  more  and  the  men  crowded  into  that  cab  would  take 
aim,  as  would  their  comrades  in  the  car  behind  them.  The 
pursuers  were  steadily,  rapidly  gaining  on  the  pursued,  and  the 
distance  would  soon  be  so  short  that  aim  would  be  sure.  Almost 
in  sight  of  safety,  they  were  to  meet  death  and  failure,  as  the 
vessel  founders  on  the  reef  that  lies  just  outside  the  harbor.  Be 
fore  them  lay  a  heavy  grade — they  would  lose  more  time  than 
ever.  There  was  silence  in  the  cab,  broken  only  by  the  throb- 
bings  of  the  engine's  mighty  heart.  The  wounded  man  was  the 
first  to  speak. 

"  William,  there's  one  thing  we  haven't  tried." 

The  two  others  turned  eagerly  towards  him,  their  faces  mute 
ly  asking  the  question  which  their  dry  lips  could  not  utter. 

"Have  you  forgotten  the  extra  tallow  you  brought  along?" 

"The  tallow?  John,  you've  saved  us.  Captain,  the  dispatches 

are  all  right.  But  how "  he  broke  off  suddenly,  and  looked 

perplexed. 

"  I  can  steady  her  awhile,  William,"  the  wounded  man  said, 
ia  answer  to  that  look,  "  if  the  captain  and  you  can  pour  it  on 
the  rails." 

He  arose  and  stood  before  them,  pale  and  weak  with  pain  and 
loss  of  blood,  but  with  the  same  steady  determination  in  his  face 
which  had  been  there  when  they  set  out;  and  his  comrades  felt 
that  he  would  do  as  he  had  said,  though  he  should  die  when  it 
was  done.  The  officer  saw  that  the  plan  was  a  good  one,  for  the 
others,  both  practical  engineers,  approved  of  it;  but  he  had  not 
the  slightest  idea  what  was  to  be  done,  or  how  anything  was  to 
be  accomplished  by  means  of  two  cans  of  tallow.  There  was  no 
time  to  question,  however,  and  when  the  engineer  placed  one 
can  in  his  hand  and  bade  him  climb  out  once  more  on  the  tender, 
he  obeyed  as  if  he  had  been  the  private  and  the  other  his  officer. 

"  Lean  over  and  pour  your  tallow  on  the  rail.  Don't  waste  a 
drop,  and  don't  let  a  foot  go  unoiled." 

Still  in  the  dark  as  to  what  was  to  be  accomplished,  the  officer 
did  as  he  was  bid,  while  the  engineer  did  the  same  at  the  other 
side  of  the  track.  The  viscid  fluid  ran  slowly  from  the  long 


A  Perilous  Journey. 


351 


curved  spouts  of  the  cans,  and  hardened  as  it  fell  on  the  rails; 
for  the  night  was,  for  the  season,  cool  and  damp.  At  last  every 
drop  had  been  expended,  and  the  two  men  crawled  back  to 
the  cab. 

The  pursuers  were  still  gaining  upon  them,  and  were  already 
beginning  to  take  aim.  There  had  been  no  time  for  explanation, 
and  now  all  three  were  eagerly  waiting  to  see  the  result;  the 
captain  all  the  more  anxiously,  that  he  could  not  imagine  what 
it  would  be.  Onward  came  the  pursuing  engine,  seeming  to  gain 


Oiling  the  Track. 

upon  them  at  every  yard  ;  she  has  reached  the  oiled  portion  of 
the  track,  and  still  bounds  forward  as  before.  But  it  is  only  the 
momentum  that  has  carried  her  so  far.  Her  speed  slackens;  the 
great  driving  wheels  still  turn  as  rapidly  as  ever,  urged  by  the 
pressure  of  the  steam;  but  on  the  oiled  track  they  can  make  no 
progress.  Faster  and  faster  they  turn,  the  friction  that  retarded 
them  being  removed,  until  with  a  whirling  noise  they  whiz 
around  so  fast  as  to  become  almost  invisible;  and  the  steam  es 
capes  with  a  shrill  scream,  like  that  of  a  disappointed  child. 

The  forward  engine  dashes  on.  The  sounds  that  are  heard  be 
hind  them  are  sweeter  than  music  in  the  ears  of  the  three  Feder 
als — that  noise  tells  them  that  they  are  safe.  Still  onward,  on- 


352  A  Perilous  Journey. 

ward,   until  a  shot  is  fired  warningly  from  in  front  of  them. 

"  Don't  fire/'  shouts  the  officer,  as  the  engineer  stops  their 
advance;  "  we  are  Federals  with  dispatches  from  Gen.  Thomas." 

"  Dismount;  one,  advance  and  give  the  countersign,"  answered 
the  picket,  not  to  be  deterred  from  using  the  regulation  formula 
by  the  irregular  nature  of  their  approach.  His  demands  were 
complied  with,  so  far  as  the  dismounting  and  advancing  were 
concerned;  but  of  course  they  could  not  give  the  countersign. 
To  the  officer  in  command  of  the  detachment,  however,  they  ex 
plained  the  circumstances,  and  were  by  him  conducted  to  head 
quarters. 

A  force  of  sufficient  strength  was  sent  out,  and  the  Confeder 
ates  on  the  locomotive  were  captured  ;  but  this  was,  of  course, 
only  incidental.  The  real  result  of  importance  was  the  march 
of  this  division  to  the  relief  of  Gen.  Thomas'  army.  But  to  the 
three  men  who  took  the  perilous  journey,  it  appeared  no  trifle 
that  speedy  promotion  followed  as  a  recognition  of  the  daring 
service  they  had  performed. 


A  CRIPPLED  MESSENGER. 

The  Siege  of  Vicksburg — Caps  and  Dispatches  to  be  Carried  in — Departure — A 
Pleasing  Sight — Past  the  Pickets— Loss  of  Crutch  and  Horse — A  Canoe — On  the 
River  among  the  Enemy's  Gunboats — A  Lazy  Fisherman — Passing  the  Feder 
al  Guns — Failing  Strength — In  Vicksburg — Return — Finds  a  Horse — A  Fora 
ger — An  Unreliable  Guide — A  Cautious  Enemy — A  Lucky  Find — Delivers  his 
Dispatches. 

THE  highest  authority  on  human  character  tells  us  that  the 
race  is  not  always  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong. 
Many  are  the  proofs  of  the  truth  of  this  saying,  to  be  found  in 
the  records  of  any  war;  and  they  are  far  from  being  scanty  in 
the  history  of  the  great  struggle  between  the  North  and  the 
South.  How  much  of  the  success  achieved  by  the  armies  on 
either  side  was  due  to  women,  will  never  be  known  until  all  ac 
counts  of  our  mortality  are  finally  settled.  Many  a  man,  too, 
sick  or  wounded,  did  the  duty  assigned  him,  and,  perhaps,  died 
in  its  performance.  Not  such  was  the  fate  of  him  whose  ex 
ploit  is  our  present  subject;  though  he  might  well  have  been 
excused  from  duty  by  reason  of  disability. 

It  was  when  the  deadly  coils  of  the  Federal  army  had  begun 
to  wind,  serpent-like,  about  the  fair  city  of  Yicksburg,  and  Gen. 
Johnston,  outside  of  the  fortifications,  more  than  suspected  that 
there  was  but  a  scanty  supply  of  caps  within.  Besides,  it  was 
necessary  to  send  a  dispatch  to  Gen.  Pemberton,  in  command 
of  the  beleaguered  city.  Not  an  available  man  could  be  detailed 
for  the  important  service;  those  who  could  be  intrusted,  were 
either  otherwise  employed  or  were  unfit  for  duty,  by  reason  of 
wounds.  In  this  emergency,  Lamar  Fontaine,  a  young  officer 
frequently  employed  in  such  hazardous  enterprises,  but  now 
unable,  by  reason  of  a  recently  broken  leg,  to  walk  without 
353 


354  A  Crippled  Messenger. 

crutches,  volunteered  to  undertake  the  perilous  journey.  Such 
was  the  state  of  the  wounded  limb,  that  in  mounting  he  had  to 
lift  it  over  the  saddle  with  his  right  hand. 

As  the  messenger  was  personally  known  to  the  besieged  gen 
eral  and  many  members  of  his  staff,  Gen.  Johnston  decided  to 
send  only  a  verbal  dispatch  ;  which,  if  the  young  man  chanced 
to  be  captured,  would  neither  add  to  his  danger  nor  aiford  in 
formation  to  the  enemy.  The  caps  might  be  a  source  of  danger, 
as  their  weight  of  forty  pounds  would  considerably  retard  the 
speed  of  his  horse,  and,  if  taken,  he  would  be  marked  as  a  mes 
senger  between  the  two  armies.  But  though  he  had  no  inten 
tion  of  denying  his  identity  or  mission  in  such  a  case,  being  cap 
tured  was  equally  far  from  his  expectations. 

"  Better  take  this  sabre,"  said  his  father,  "for  its  scabbard,  be 
ing  wooden,  will  not  rattle;  and  this  revolver  has  never  yet 
missed  fire  for  me." 

With  a  prayer  for  the  success  and  the  safety  of  his  son,  and  a 
strict  injunction  to  him  to  kill  any  one  of  the  "jackals" — so  he 
termed  them — that  crossed  his  path  or  attempted  to  bar  his  pro 
gress,  the  father  sent  the  young  man  on  his  way.  For  a  time  all 
went  well.  Crossing  Big  Black  River  before  night  had  set  in, 
he  reached  a  point  by  the  next  day  between  the  Federal  lines 
and  the  division  of  the  army  which  was  at  Mechanicsburg.  Here 
it  was  unsafe  to  proceed  any  farther  until  the  darkness  should 
again  shelter  his  movements,  and  concealing  his  horse  in  a 
friendly  ravine,  he  hid  himself  in  the  thick  branches  of  a  fallen 
tree  near  by,  his  precious  burden  of  caps  beside  him,  his  pistol 
at  his  side,  and  crutches  and  sabre  within  easy  reach. 

The  day  was  not  without  its  diversion,  for  the  tree  overlooked 
the  road,  along  which  were  passing  columns  of  Federal  troops ; 
not  with  the  steady  and  deliberate  tread,  and  orderly  appear 
ance  which  betokened  an  advance  or  strategic  movement,  but 
with  the  haste  and  confusion  which  accompany  a  retreat.  lie 
could  only  guess  what  had  happened,  for  the  news  of  the  engage 
ment  had  not  yet  reached  his  ears ;  but  this  was  indubitable  proof 
of  its  result. 

But  at  last  the  columns  of  Federals  had  disappeared;  the 
clouds  of  dust  had  settled  again  to  the'  earth  ;  the  last  tinge  of 
red  in  the  western  sky  had  faded  to  the  dull,  deep  gray  which 
was  beginning  to  envelop  all  things;  and  emerging  from  his 
leafy  hiding-place,  he  hobbled  to  the  ravine  where  he  had  left 


A  Crippled 


855 


his  horse,  and  remounting,  was  soon  on  his  way  again.  Though 
he  was  fully  aware  that  the  utmost  caution  "would  be  necessary, 
and  he  used  every  endeavor  to  avoid  an  encounter,  the  Federal 
pickets  were  so  closely  posted  as  to  make  it  impossible  for  him 
entirely  to  evade  them.  As  he  turned  into  the  road  from  Yazoo 
City  to  Yicksburg,  he  saw  the  ominous  gleam  of  their  arms  in 
the  fire-light,  and  heard  the  command  ring  out  on  the  still  night 
air: 

"  Halt !     Who  comes  there  ?" 

His  noble  horse  had  borne  him  through  many  perilous  adven- 


-iSv1  ^y$^%F**& 

fy^^^^tm 

"  Like  a  shot  past  the  picket" 

tures,  and  knew  every  touch  of  his  rider's  hand;  it  did  not  need 
his  one  spur,  then,  to  urge  the  animal  onward.  As  he  went  past 
the  picket  post  like  a  shot,  they  could  only  attempt  to  halt  him 
by  a  volley  from  their  muskets.  The  bullets  whistled  over  him 
and  around  him,  but  not  one  reached  the  mark  for  which  it  was 
intended.  The  horseman  rode  on  unscathed.  But  just  as  he 
felt  himself  comparatively  safe,  his  evidently  wounded  horse 
reeled  under  him.  A  word  of  encouragement,  a  loving  pat  on 
the  neck,  and  the  steed  with  new  spirit  pressed  forward.  As  he 
rode,  one  of  his  crutches  was  caught  by  tao  limb  of  a  tree,  and 
23 


A  Crippled  Messenger. 

as  the  pickets  were  still  firing,  he  dared  not  stop  to  disentangle 
it.  He  must  risk  finding  another,  in  some  rude  shape,  or  reach 
ing  Yicksburg  without  having  use  for  it. 

Vain  hope  was  the  latter  alternative  I  The  renewed  strength 
of  the  horse  he  bestrode  was  but  the  last  flaring  of  the  flame,  be 
fore  it  goes  out  forever.  He  bore  his  rider  onward  until  the  bank 
of  the  Yazoo  Eiver  was  reached  ;  then,  with  one  convulsive  gasp 
and  shudder,  fell-  to  the  earth,  dead.  Thus  deprived  of  both 
horse  and  crutch,  it  was  no  easy  matter  for  the  disabled  man  to 
make  any  headway,  even  if  he  had  not  been  burdened  by  the 
percussion  caps.  Slowly  and  painfully,  by  the  aid  of  the  one 
crutch  still  remaining,  he  made  his  way  down  the  stream,  keep 
ing  a  sharp  lookout,  as  may  well  be  believed,  for  anything  that 
might  assist  him  in  getting  over  the  ground. 

What  was  his  joy  to  find, when  he  had  thus  followed  the  course 
of  the  river,  a  small  boat  moored  at  the  bank.  It  was  but  a  log, 
hollowed  out  roughly,  but  it  answered  his  purpose  better,  per 
haps,  than  the  most  fancifully  decorated  skiff.  Cutting  the  rope 
that  tied  it  to  a  neighboring  tree,  he  was  soon  on  his  way  again, 
but  traveling  with  much  less  difficulty  than  before. 

He  paddled  quietly  on,  until  he  saw  three  Federal  gunboats 
ascending  the  river,  on  their  way  to  Yazoo  City.  Fortunately, 
there  was  a  shelter  at  hand  ;  some  willow  trees,  but  a  short  dis 
tance  below,  overhung  the  stream,  the  long  boughs  drooping 
down  until  the  leaves  at  their  tips  were  bathed  in  the  water. 
Shooting  obliquely  across  and  down  the  river,  he  was  soon  with 
in  this  leafy  covert,  where  he  lay  quietly  until  the  black  mon 
sters  had  passed;  the  men  on  board  never  once  suspecting  that 
there  was  an  enemy  any  nearer  than  Yicksburg.  These,  how 
ever,  were  not  the  only  vessels  of  the  kind  to  be  encountered. 

As  he  approached  Snyder's  Bluff,  he  saw  the  light  from  the 
illumination  there  spreading  far  and  wide,  over  land  and  water ; 
while  the  sounds  proceeding  thence  left  no  doubt  that  a  grand 
ball  was  taking  place  there.  The  river  below  was  crowded  with 
their  transports,  gunboats  and  barges.  Lying  flat  in  the  bottom 
of  his  rude  boat,  he  disposed  his  blanket  so  as  to  cover  him  com 
pletely,  except  his  head;  that  no  gleam  from  arms  or  buttons 
might  attract  the  attention  of  the  enemy.  Thus  covered,  the 
dark  hue  of  the  blanket  so  nearly  approached  that  of  the  canoe 
that  it  looked  like  a  piece  of  innocent  driftwood  floating  past 
the  Federal  vessels. 


A  Crippled  Messenger.  357 

As  soon  as  he  was  safely  out  of  sight  of  the  Yankees  at  Sny- 
der's  Bluff,  he  began  to  row,  and  was  soon  in  the  maze  of  streams 
known  as  the  backwater  of  the  Mississippi.  But  the  darkness 
which  had  hitherto  befriended  him  was  now  anything  but  an  aid; 
for  he  missed  the  passage  from  the  Yazoo  into  the  Mississippi, 
and  instead,  got  into  Old  River.  For  some  time  he  tried  to  find 
the  way  into  the  bosom  of  the  Father  of  Waters,  but  finally,  as 
day  approached,  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  effort,  and  conceal 
himself  and  his  boat  until  night. 

But  the  morning  revealed  to  him,  even  in  his  hiding-place,  the 
mistake  that  he  had  made ;  and  when  night  once  more  came,  he 
paddled  into  the  Mississippi.  Here  again  he  must  rest  upon  his 
oars,  for  he  must  pass  forty  or  fifty  transports.  As  he  went  by 
them,  however,  he  did  not  attempt  the  more  complete  conceal 
ment  which  had  succeeded  so  well  at  Snyder's  Bluff,  and  it  was 
perhaps  well  that  he  did  not,  for  a  keen-eyed  Northern  soldier 
spied  him. 

"  Hello,  you !     Where'r  you  going  ?" 

"  Just  down  here  a  piece,  to  look  after  my  fishin'  lines,"  drawl 
ed  the  Confederate  lazily. 

"  Why  don't  you  row  steadily?  You'd  get  there  a  good  deal 
sooner." 

"What's  the  use?  The  river  runs  seven  miles  an  hour.  I'll 
row  up  stream." 

The  Federal  turned  to  a  companion  with  a  contemptuous 
laugh  at  Southern  indolence,  and  the  "  fisherman"  passed  on  "  to 
look  after  his  lines,"  nor  was  he  again  challenged  by  the  enemy. 
But  of  the  two  methods  of  passing  the  vessels  he  rather  prefer 
red  the  former;  and  accordingly,  as  he  neared  the  mortar  fleet 
in  the  bend  above  Yicksburg,  he  again  covered  himself  with  his 
blanket,  and  impersonated  the  drift-wood.  The  ruse  met  with 
its  former  success;  and  as  shell  after  shell  was  hurled  into  the 
doomed  city,  the  unsuspicious  Federals  took  no  note  of  the  ca 
noe,  in  which  were  the  percussion  caps  of  which  the  besieged 
had  so  much  need.  At  last  this  fleet  was,  in  its  turn,  safely  pass 
ed.  Only  a  little  while,  now,  and  he  would  have  accomplished  his 
mission  !  It  was  well  that  he  was  so  near  the  end  of  his  perilous 
journey,  for  he  was  nearly  exhausted;  besides  the  fatigue  inci 
dent  to  such  methods  of  traveling,  there  was  the  anxiety  which 
he  necessarily  suffered  in  regard,  not  only  to  his  own  personal 
safety,  for  that  was  of  comparatively  small  moment,  but  to  the 


358  A  Crippled  Messenger. 

fate  of  the  caps  and  the  message  of  which  he  was  the  bearer; 
and  his  strength  was  rapidly  failing  by  reason  of  hunger,  for  he 
had  not  tasted  food  for  nearly  sixty  hours. 

But  relief  was  soon  to  come.  Just  as  the  first  beams  of  the 
morning  sun  changed  the  broad  waters  into  a  flood  of  molten 
brass,  he  neared  the  Confederate  picket-boats.  Tying  his  white 
handkerchief  to  a  paddle,  he  with  difficulty  raised  himself  to  his 
feet,  and  waving  it  over  his  head,  cried : 

" Hurrah  for  Jeff.  Davis  and  the  Southern  Confederacy?" 

The  cheer  was  answered  from  the  boats  and  from  the  shore; 
and  Capt.  Fontaine,  nearly  fainting  from  exhaustion,  was  con 
ducted  to  Gen.  Pemberton's  headquarters.  His  message  was  de 
livered,  he  was  relieved  of  his  burden  of  caps,  and  ordered  to 
let  a  complete  rest  for  the  necessary  length  of  time  refresh  him 
after  his  wearisome  journey.  A  day  and  a  night  proved  suffi 
cient  to  recuperate  him,  and,  charged  with  dispatches  from  Gen. 
Pemberton  to  Gen.  Johnston,  he  again  left  the  city. 

Of  course  it  was  impossible  to  return  by  the  same  way  as  that 
by  which  he  had  come.  Notwithstanding  his  assurance  to  the 
Federal,  he  had  no  mind  to  row  up  stream,  for  that  might  be 
tray  him  ;  he  could  not  row  past  three  fleets  as  safely  as  he  could 
float  past  them.  He  accordingly  decided  to  descend  the  river 
still  farther,  and  take  to  the  shore  at  a  point  some  distance  be 
low  the  city.  Passing  the  Federal  fleet  south  of  the  town  as  he 
had  passed  that  north  of  it,  he  floated  so  close  to  their  boats  that 
he  could  see,  through  the  open  port-hole  of  one,  the  men  play 
ing  cards  ;  while  divers  phrases  greeted  his  ears,  such  as  "  I'll 
see  that  and  go  ten  better;"  "I  call;"  "Three  kings  and  a 
pair  ;"  "  Confound  the  luck  !"  (or  something  more  forcible.) 

But  at  last  the  ordeal  by  water  was  over,  and  he  stepped  upon 
the  land  at  Diamond  Place,  some  miles  below  Yicksburg,  and  on 
the  same  side  of  the  river.  Hobbling  as  best  he  might  over  the 
bottom  lands,  he  reached  the  hills,  and  went  to  the  residence  of 
an  acquaintance,  from  whom  he  hoped  to  obtain  a  horse.  The- 
Federals,  however,  had  been  there  before  him,  and  confiscated 
everything  of  the  kind  but  a  worn-out  gelding  and  a  colt  only 
half-broken.  Of  these,  he  was  offered  his  choice,  the  owner  many 
times  regretting  that  his  better  horses  had  been  obliged  to  ren 
der  their  services  to  the  United  instead  of  the  Confederate 
States.  Ho  chose  the  colt,  trusting  to  his  own  horsemanship  to 
complete  the  process  of  breaking  him  in.  Fortunately,  he  had 


A  Crippled  Messenger. 


359 


gone  but  a  short  distance  on  this  animal,  when  he  came  upon  a 
line  horse,  tied  by  a  blind  bridle.  The  animal  was  unsaddled; 
and  as  a  basket  and  old  bag  was  lying  near  by,  Capt.  Fon 
taine  inferred  that  some  negro,  attached  to  a  Yankee  camp,  had 
left  them  there.  Exchanging  bridles,  and  saddling  the  horse, 
he  turned  the  colt  loose  to  find  his  way  back  to  the  hills,  and 
mounted  the  horse. 

As  the  camp  where  this  animal  belonged  could  not  be  far  dis 
tant,  he  knew  he  must  exercise  some  caution,  lest  he  come  upon 
more  Yankees  than  he  cared  to  meet.  Being  well  acquainted 


Passing  the  Port-holes. 

with  the  country,  he  had  no  trouble  in  deciding  what  was  prob 
ably  the  location  of  the  camp,  and  carefully  rode  around  it.  But 
he  did  not  succeed  in  avoiding  all  the  Federals.  As  he  rode 
along,  a  blue-coat,  hearing  the  sound  of  hoofs,  and  supposing  it 
one  of  his  own  comrades,  advanced  from  the  shelter  of  the  woods 
through  which  he  had  been  making  his  way  along  a  bridle-path. 
The  new  comer  bore  unquestionable  marks  that  he  had  been  for 
aging;  the  said  marks  consisting  of  a  pair  of  fat  chickens  and  a 
bucket  of  honey.  Planting  himself  in  the  road  before  the  horse, 
which  seemed  to  recognize  him,  he  began : 


360  A  Crippled  Messenger. 

"Who  are  you,  sir?" 

"I  have  no  business  with  you/'  replied  the  Confederate,  en- 
deavoring  to  urge  the  horse  onward. 

11  Where  are  you  going  ?" 

"  To  attend  to  my  own  affairs.     Stand  aside  and  let  me  pass." 

"Are  you  on  military  business?" 

"Stand  aside  and  let  me  pass." 

"  Are  you  a  soldier  ?" 

"Oh,  go  to  the  devil  and  ask  your  questions,"  exclaimed  the 
Confederate,  as  he  pulled  the  trigger  of  his  revolver  and  sent  a 
ball  crashing  through  the  brain  of  the  inquisitive  forager. 

Some  caution  must  be  exercised  in  approaching  the  next  set 
tlement,  but  he  reached  it  in  safety.  There  he  hired  a  guide 
who  claimed  to  be  familiar  with  the  state  of  the  country,  to  pilot 
him  to  Hankerson's  Ferry  on  Big  Black  River ;  fifty  dollars  be 
ing  paid  for  the  service.  But  although  the  guide  professed  the 
utmost  loyalty  to  the  South,  his  words,  somehow,  did  not  have  the 
genuine  ring  to  them  •  perhaps  he  was  too  loud  in  his  protesta 
tions  of  attachment  to  the  Confederacy;  at  any  rate,  Capt.  Fon 
taine  deemed  it  best  not  to  trust  him  too  far.  The  man  seemed 
to  be  well  acquainted  with  the  disposition  of  the  main  bodies  of 
Federals  j'but  of  course  there  might  be,  at  any  prominent  point 
like  a  ferry,  a  smaller  body  temporarily  stationed.  According 
ly,  as  they  drew  near  the  point  at  which  his  services  were  to 
cease,  Capt.  Fontaine  sent  him  forward  to  ascertain  whether 
there  were  any  Yankees  about.  The  guide  was  no  sooner  out 
of  sight  than  the  soldier  concealed  himself  near  the  appointed 
rendezvous,  fearing  his  return  with  a  party  of  the  enemy.  He 
stayed  away  a  long  time — much  longer  than  necessary  for  the  re- 
connoissance — and  finally  came  back,  alone. 

"I  couldn't  get  back  any  sooner,  Captain,  for  I  wanted  to  take 
a  good  look,  and  be  sure.  There  ain't  any  Yankees  near  the 
ferry — not  a  Fed  been  there  for  some  time,  I  heard." 

Capt.  Fontaine  paid  the  guide,  dismissed  him,  and  rode  on, 
not  having  the  slightest  confidence  in  what  had  been  told  him. 
When,  therefore,  the  man  had  disappeared,  he  turned  his  horse's 
head  and  went  to  the  northeast,  instead  of  directly  to  the  east. 
The  event  proved  that  he  had  grounds  for  his  mistrust  of  the 
guide.  The  man  had  occupied  his  time  in  hunting  up  a  Federal 
officer  who  would  send  a  guard  to  the  ferry,  and  a  long  line  of 
sentinels  had  been  posted  along  the  river  road,  to  intercept  the 


A  Crippled  Messenger.  361 

Confederate ;  while  a  considerable  force  (for  the  capture  of  one 
man)  was  at  the  ferry. 

As  well  assured  that  this  was  the  case  as  if  it  had  been  de 
scribed  to  him  in  so  many  words,  Capt.  Fontaine  thought,  that 
by  changing  his  course,  he  could  flank  the  enemy,  and  cross  the 
stream  a  little  higher  up.  But  he  somewhat  underrated  the  cau 
tion  of  the  foe,  in  calculating  the  probable  number  of  men  that 
would  be  sent,  and  the  length  of  the  line  of  sentinels  posted  over 
the  approaches  of  the  river.  As  he  turned  into  the  river  road, 
there  suddenly  arose  from  the  bushes,  not  more  than  ten  feet 
away,  a  blue-coated  soldier. 

"Halt!"  was  the  order,  as  the  Confederate  came  up;  and  the 
answer  rang  out  loud  and  clear — a  pistol-shot.  The  sentinel  fell 
forward,  dead  ;  and  the  officer  spurred  his  horse  onward  up  the 
river.  But  the  men  were  closely  posted,  and  a  shower  of  balls 
fell  around  him,  whistling  by  his  ears,  fanning  his  cheek  and 
waving  his  hair,  cutting  their  way  through  his  clothes,  perfor 
ating  the  wooden  scabbard  of  his  sabre,  grazing  the  injured  leg, 
two  even  wounding  his  right  hand,  but  not  so  seriously  as  to  pre 
vent  his  using  it.  The  horse  was  less  fortunate;  seven  bullets 
entered  his  body,  and  it  was  with  glazing  eyes  and  weakened 
limbs  that  he  bore  his  rider  on — on — until  he  had  placed  a  mile 
between  the  pursuers  and  the  pursued. 

Being  thus  again  left  without  a  steed,  he  determined  that  it 
would  be  best  to  swim  the  river  immediately,  and  trust  to  his 
good  fortune  to  secure  a  horse  on  the  other  side.  But  for  some  dis 
tance  he  limped  on  with  no  other  support  than  his  crutches. 
Fortunately,  he  was  seen  by  a  lady  full  of  enthusiasm  for  the 
South,  and  she  offered  him  a  steed. 

"  It  seems  as  if  it  came  for  you  or  some  one  else  of  our  army," 
she  said,  '•  for  it's  a  stray  that  came  here  after  the  Feds  had  car 
ried  off  every  horse  and  mule  on  the  place." 

The  animal  proved  to  be  a  good  Confederate,  for  it  bore  him 
safely  to  Raymond,  where  he  arrived  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing.  Changing  horses  here,  he  proceeded  without  loss  of  time 
to  Jackson,  and  delivered  his  dispatches  to  Gen.  Johnston  early 
in  the  morning,  five  days  after  he  had  departed  upon  his  peril 
ous  errand  to  the  besieged  city  of  Yicksburg. 


IN  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP. 

The  Scout's  Fate — His  Successor — The  Errand  Stated — Setting  Out — Precautions — 
A  Friendly  Greeting — A  Ready-made  Disguise— A  Guide  Provided — The 
Countersign — The  Sentry  Disposed  of — A  Struggle — A  Council  of  War — An 
Uninvited  Member — A  Wide-awake  Sentry — Discovered — "No,  You  Don't !" 
— "  Tallahassee,  Tallahassee !"— The  Chase— Escape— The  Result. 

U  "YHTTHAT  is  it  ?"  asked  the  general  of  the  aid  who  had  en- 
V  Y     tered  his  tent,  and  who,  having  duly  saluted  his  su 
perior,  stood  with  soldierly  uprightness  before  him. 

"  Two  of  the  squads  of  scouts  that  were  sent  out  last  night  have 
returned,  wounded — " 

"  Two  ?  There  were  four  sent  out,  I  thought/' 

"  There  were  four,  sir,  but  the  others  were  killed." 

"Where?" 

"  At  the  lower  ford  ;  they  were  discovered  and  chased  by  a 
larger  body  of  the  enemy,  and  these  two  barely  escaped  with 
their  lives." 

"What  has  caused  the  delay?  They  should  have  been  back 
long  ago." 

"They  were  obliged  to  ride  several  miles  out  of  their  way  to 
elude  the  Rebels,  who  were  better  mounted;  and  one  of  them 
was  hardly  able  to  sit  his  horse.  He  fainted  when  the  excite 
ment  of  the  chase  was  over,  and  it  was  some  time  before  his 
comrade  could  revive  him.  The  two  happen  to  be  brothers." 

"  Then  Mackworth  is  not  one  of  them?" 

"  Mackworth  was  killed,  sir." 

"  That's  bad  ;  very  bad,"  answered  the  general,  with  knitted 
eyebrows;  "  I  don't  know  a  man  who  can  take  his  place." 

He  thought  a  moment,  and  then  asked  of  the  aid  : 
302 


In  the  Enemy's  Camp.  363 

"  Did  they  place  the  rockets  where  they  were  ordered  ?" 

"Yes,  sir."" 

"  Did  they  bring  any  information  in  regard  to  the  position  or 
movements  of  the  enemy?" 

"They  did  not.  It  seems  that  Mackworth  posted  his  men  in 
the  wood  this  side  of  the  Confederate  lines,  and  advanced  alone 
and  on  foot.  He  had  barely  rejoined  the  squad  and  remounted 
when  their  presence  was  discovered,  the  Rebs  gave  chase,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  he  was  killed." 

"And  his  information  died  with  him.  Hum  !  Send  Lieutenant 
Leighton,  of  the  — th  Michigan,  to  me  immediately. 

The  aid  saluted  and  left  the  tent  to  obey  the  order.  In  a  few 
minutes  there  stood  before  him  a  magnificent  specimen  of  man 
hood.  The  long  limbs  and  well-shaped  body  showed  no  ounce 
of  superflous  flesh  j  every  muscle  had  been  hardened  into  iron, 
while  the  flash  of  the  dark  eye  bespoke  an  intelligence  and  cour 
age  which  would  not  fail  in  time  of  need. 

They  were  old  acquaintances,  and  the  formality  of  the  camp 
was  forgotten  as  the  general  rose  to  greet  his  subordinate,  and 
(;he  two  soldiers  stood  side  by  side. 

"Are  you  still  desirous  of  leaving  the  artillery  for  a  scout's 
life?" 

"  Just  as  much  as  ever." 

"Well,  I  have  a  mission  for  you.  You  are  thoroughly  acquaint 
ed  with  the  surrounding  country,  are  you  not?" 

"  I  think  I  know  every  b}r-path,"  replied  the  would-be  scout. 

"I  have  relied  mainly  upon  Mackworth  for  the  specially  haz 
ardous  and  important  scouting,  but  he  was  killed  last  night.  I 
want  you  to  take  hu  place." 

"  Mackworth's  ?"  asked  the  lieutenant  in  surprise. 

"Yes.     Do  you  know  where  the  Sedley  Mansion  is?" 

"  The  Sedley  mansion  ?  Yes.  It's  right  in  the  heart  of  the 
enemy's  camp." 

"  "Well,  I  want  you  to  go  there." 

There  was  a  mingling  of  surprise  and  dismay  upon  the  subal 
tern's  face  for  a  moment;  and  then  he  answered,  calmly  : 

"  Yery  well,  sir,"  and  stood  waiting  further  orders. 

"The  attack  is  to  begin,  according  to  my  plans,  to-morrow 
morning  at  daybreak.  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  Rebels 
have  heard  of  this  by  their  spies,  and  will  be  prepared  for  it. 
They  will  mass  either  at  the  centre  or  on  the  left  wing;  it  is  very 


864  In  the  Enemy's  Camp. 

essential  that  I  should  know  which.  That  is  what  I  want  you 
to  discover." 

"Very  well,  sir/'  answered  the  scout  again,  as  the  general 
paused. 

"You  will  go  to  the  enemy's  headquarters,  ascertain  his  plans, 
and  as  you  return  set  off  rockets,  which  you  will  find  in  a  hollow 
stump  six  paces  beyond  the  second  milestone  from  here.  Mack- 
worth  placed  them  there  yesterday.  One  rocket  will  mean  that 
the  enemy  is  massed  at  the  center,  two,  that  his  forces  are  con 
centrated  on  his  left  wing.  The  headquarters  are  very  near  the 
Sedley  Mansion." 

"  When  am  I  to  go,  sir  ?" 

"  As  soon  as  the  night  is  sufficiently  advanced  to  make  it  safe — 
say  about  ten.  Report  to  me  again  at  half-past  nine." 

The  lieutenant,  thus  dismissed,  saluted  and  left  the  tent.  Bend 
ing  his  steps  towards  his  own  quarters,  he  there  endeavored  to 
put  his  affairs  in  such  order  as  he  could,  in  case  he  should  meet 
with  Mackworth's  fate.  Be  it  understood  that  he  was  not  a  cow 
ard;  but  fully  realizing  the  dangers  of  the  task  he  had  under 
taken,  he  was  determined  to  go  through  with  it,  or  perish  in  the 
attempt.  A  fool  or  a  madman  rushes  into  danger,  shutting  his 
eyes  to  the  consequences  ;  a  brave  man  walks  into  it,  no  detail 
escaping  eye  or  ear,  and  accomplishes  the  end  proposed. 

Prepared  then  for  either  fate,  success  or  death,  he  presented 
himself,  at  the  appointed  hour,  to  Gen.  Rosecrans,  who,  after  giv 
ing  additional  instructions  in  regard  to  detail,  provided  him 
with  a  superb  gray  horse  of  excellent  mettle.  He  dashed  away 
gaily,  and  before  many  minutes  had  passed,  saw  the  block  of 
granite  which  he  knew  to  be  the  second  milestone.  Dismount 
ing,  he  sought  out  the  stump  designated,  and  found  that  the 
rockets  were  all  right,  ready  for  the  use  for  which  they  were  in 
tended.  Greater  care  would  now  be  necessary,  for  he  could  not 
tell  just  where  he  might  come  upon  the  enemy's  pickets.  Short 
ening  the  chain  of  his  sabre,  he  bound  the  scabbard  to  his  knee, 
to  prevent  its  clanking;  and  even  wrapped  the  rowels  of  his 
spurs  with  strips  torn  from  his  handkerchief.  It  was  desirable 
that  he  should  keep  the  road  as  much  as  possible,  for  in  that 
mountainous  country  a  path  which  he  would  strike  out  for  him 
self  might  prove  impassable,  and  much  time  be  lost  thereby. 

The  new  moon  now  began  to  shed  a  faint  light  over  the  land 
scape  which  had  hitherto  been  wrapped  in  Egyptian  darkness* 


In  the  Enemy's  Camp.  365 

The  faintly  illumined  sky  was  flecked  with  ragged  clouds,  which 
ever}''  now  and  then  obscured  the  moon,  which  at  best  afforded 
but  little  light.  Around  him  rose,  grim  with  their  dark  coronets 
of  pine  trees  and  misty  veils,  the  peaks  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  Not 
a  sound  stirred  the  stillness  of  the  night  as  the  solitary  scout  rode 
on,  bent  low  upon  the  neck  of  his  horse  as  he  crossed  the  open 
spaces,  lest  he  fall  by  the  bullet  of  some  concealed  foe;  the  very 
footfalls  of  his  horse  upon  the  thick  green  sward  by  the  roadside, 
made  no  noise.  Again  and  again  his  path  lay  through  the  woods, 
where  every  tree  might  be  a  shelter  for  an  enemy;  and  as  he 
glanced  first  to  one  side  and  then  to  the  other,  his  finger  was  on 
the  trigger,  his  weapon  cocked  for  self-defense. 

There  is  nothing  to  indicate  to  him  the  position  of  the  enemy ; 
not  the  glare  of  a  picket-fire  illuming  the  woodland  shadows; 
not  the  faint  gleam  of  moonlight  reflected  from  the  side  of  atent. 
This,  of  course,  materially  increases  his  danger ;  for  the  enemy's 
pickets  cannot  be  far  off,  and  he  must  not  come  upon  them  un 
awares. 

Thus  cautiously  feeling  his  way  he  came  to  the  last  of  the  nat 
ural  terraces  of  the  elevation  on  which  the  Federal  troops  were 
encamped,  and  began  to  descend  the  ravine-like  valley:  Dangers 
thickened  around  him.  Not  only  was  it  so  dark  in  this  depression 
that  he  could  not  hope  to  distinguish  any  signs  of  the  enemy's 
vicinity,  but  the  surface  was  harder;  his  horse's  hoofs  clattered 
along  the  ground,  and  now  and  then  struck  fire  from  the  pebbles 
with  which  it  was  strewn.  At  last  the  bottom  of  the  ravine  is 
reached,  and  he  begins  to  ascend.  Suddenly,  as  he  emerges  from 
the  shadows  of  the  trees  which  clothe  the  ravine,  he  sees  outlined 
darkly  against  the  sombre  sky,  a  group  of  horsemen. 

"Hurry  up  !"  cried  one  of  them  impatiently,  though  in  a  low 
tone.  "  What  makes  you  come  back  so  slowly  ?" 

"Did  you  meet  Col.  Craig?"  inquired  a  second,  without  giv 
ing  him  time  to  answer  the  first  query. 

The  truth  flashed  across  him  in  an  instant;  they  had  mistaken 
him  for  a  messenger  of  their  own.  His  first  impulse  was  to  per 
sonate  the  man  whom  they  expected,  but  this,  of  course,  would 
involve  him  in  great  difficulties;  so  he  decided  to  represent 
himself  as  Col.  Craig's  orderly.  All  this  was  decided  instan 
taneously,  so  that  the  question  had  hardly  died  away  before  the 
answer  was  ready. 

"Your  messenger  found  Col.  Craig  and  reported  to  him,  sir. 


366 


In  the  Enemy1  s  Camp. 


The  colonel  sent  him  to  scout  a  little  way  down  the  valley,  and 
dispatched  me,  his  orderly,  to  inform  you  that  the  enemy  ap 
peared  to  meditate  a  retreat." 

"  Was  he  certain  of  their  movements  1" 

"  Not  quite  ;  he  bade  me  tell  Gren.  Forrest  that  he  would  give 
warning  by  rockets;  one,  if  they  retreated,  two,  if  they  remain 
ed  stationary  in  their  present  position." 

"All  right.     Do  you  know  the  way  to  headquarters?" 

"I  think  so,  I  was  only 
there  once,  and  that  in  the 
daytime ;  but  I  reckon  I  can 
find  it." 

"Tom,  you'd  better  go 
with  him  to  the  inner  picket 
line,"  said  the  officer  of  the 
squad,  addressing  one  of  his 
men ;  then,  turning  to  the 
self-styled  orderly  of  Col. 
Craig,  he  added:  "You'll 
have  to  leave  your  horse 
there,  and  climb  the  rest  of 
the  hill  on  foot.  You'll  see 
the  Sedley  mansion  from 
the  top.  Just  walk  towards 
it,  and  when  you  have 
reached  it,  keep  on  in  the 
same  direction  until  you 
see  the  camp.  You  can't 
miss  it,  even  if  you've  never  been  there." 

Thanking  the  officer  in  courteous  tones  for  his  advice  and  the 
escort  provided,  our  scout  followed  the  Confederate  trooper  up 
the  hill.  It  was  fortunate,  indeed,  that  the  guide  had  been  furn 
ished  him,  for,  of  course,  he  did  not  know  the  countersign.  In 
their  eagerness  to  greet  the  messenger,  as  we  have  seen,  the 
outer  pickets  had  neglected  to  ask  for  it ;  but  it  was  scarcely  to 
be  hoped  that  the  others  would  be  so  careless  in  the  performance 
of  their  duty.  As  it  was,  the  Southern  cavalryman  preceded 
him,  and,  when  challenged  in  due  form,  answered : 

"  Tally—" 

The  rest  of  the  word  was  unintelligible  to  Leighton,  though 
he  had  pressed  eagerly  forward  for  the  express  purpose  of  hear- 


Giving  the  Countersign. 


In  the  Enemy's  Camp.  367 

ing  it.  Every  word  of  which  he  could  think,  commencing  with 
the  talismanic  syllables,  was  summoned  up  in  review  as  the  pick 
et  stood  with  leveled  carbine  demanding  the  countersign,  and 
was  rejected.  At  last,  after  what  seemed  an  age  of  anxious  search, 
but  was  really  but  a  moment,  he  hit  upon  : 

«  Tallahassee  I" 

It  was  indeed,  the  magic  word,  the  "  open,  sesame,"  to  the 
charmed  circle  which  the  pickets  formed. 

His  escort  left  him,  and,  alone  and  on  foot,  he  clambered  up 
the  side  of  the  mountain.  Higher,  higher  still,  until  the  clouds 
obscured  the  valleys  below  him.  At  last  the  landmark,  the 
Sedley  Mansion,  was  reached,  and  the  camp  in  sight.  Taking  his 
way  to  the  general's  tent,  which  was  at  some  distance  from  the 
others,  he  saw,  about  a  hundred  yards  from  it,  a  sentry  pacing 
to  and  fro. 

"Who  goes  there  ?"  came  the  challenge,  as  he  approached. 

"  A  friend." 

"Advance and  give  the  countersign." 

"Tallahassee,"  confidently  replied  the  scout. 

"  That's  for  the  pickets,  not  for  me,"  answered  the  Confederate, 
sternly,  as  he  brought  his  carbine  into  position  and  took  aim. 

But  as  quick  as  thought  the  Federal  had  sprung  upon  him,  and 
clutched  his  throat  with  a  grip  of  iron.  The  gun  dropped  from 
his  hand,  and  he  made  an  effort  to  get  his  bowie-knife.  Leigh- 
ton  dared  not  use  his  revolver,  dared  not  strike  a  blow,  unless 
it  were  with  a  knife,  for  the  slightest  noise  might  alarm  a  com 
rade  of  the  sentry.  The  knife  at  the  Confederate's  belt  caught 
his  eye  as  a  gleam  of  moonlight  fell  upon  the  shining  blade ;  his 
attention  having  been  directed  to  it  by  the  efforts  which  the  other 
made  to  get  hold  of  it.  It  was  a  struggle  of  a  most  desperate 
character.  The  slightest  noise  would  have  been  fatal  to  the  scout, 
but  his  grip  on  his  antagonist's  throat  was  such  that  the  Confed 
erate  had  not  power  to  utter  a  sound.  It  was  literally  a  man- 
to-man  fight.  So  evenly  were  they  matched  that  they  struggled 
for  some  minutes  before  either  could  gain  the  slightest  advan 
tage.  The  Southerner,  despairing  of  being  able  otherwise  to  un 
loose  that  deadly  grasp,  succeeded  in  getting  aportionof  his  op 
ponent's  right  arm  between  his  teeth,  and  was  causing  such  pain 
that  the  Federal  knew  ho  must  soon  relax  his  hold  5  but  with  a 
desperate  effort  he  wrenched  the  bowie  from  its  place,  and  drove 
it  deep,  deep,  into  the  heart  of  the  Confederate  just  as  the  latter' s 


368 


In  the  Enemy's  Camp. 


teeth  met  in  his  arm  with  the  grip  of  a  dying  bull-dog. 

Repressing  with  some  difficulty  the  exclamation  of  pain  which 
rose  to  his  lips,  he  tossed  his  cap  away  from  him,  and  assumed 
the  broad-brimmed,  soft  black  felt  hat  which  the  sentry  had 
worn,  and  arrayed  himself  in  the  Confederate's  overcoat.  Drag 
ging  the  body  into  the  deep  shadows  near  by,  he  picked  up  the 
fallen  musket,  and  began  pacing  to  and  fro,  as  wide-awake  a  sen 
try  as  officer  of  the  guard  could  wish. 

Every  turn  brought  him  a  little  nearer  to  the  tent,  until  at  last 
he  could  hear  the  voices  within  it.  Then,  creeping  noiselessly 
to  the  canvas  wall,  he 
lifted  the  edge  of  the 
tent  cautiously  and  peer- 
ed  beneath  it.  The 
whole  interior  was  visi 
ble,  lighted  by  the  cand 
les  that  stood  on  the 
rude  table.  Around  this 
sat  a  number  of  Con 
federate  officers,  evi 
dently  forming  a  coun 
cil  of  war.  Some  of  them 
were  bending  over  the 
map  which  lay  upon  the 
table,  while  others  ap 
peared  to  know  the 
country  perfectly  with 
out  that  aid.  For  near-  The  Stru99l*  with  the  Sentry. 
ly  an  hour  he  lay  there,  eagerly  drinking  in  their  words  j  until 
at  last  all  their  plans  for  the  disposition  of  their  forces  were 
clear  to  him.  The  troops  were  to  be  massed  on  the  left  wing. 

At  last,  the  questions  for  the  consideration  of  which  the  coun 
cil  had  been  summoned  were  all  decided,  and  the  officers  pre 
pared  to  disperse.  Hastily  dropping  the  edge  of  the  canvas  as 
they  rose  and  looked  around  them,  he  grasped  his  musket  and 
ran  to  the  sentry's  beat.  When  they  emerged  from  the  tent,  he 
was  pacing  back  and  forth  as  leisurely  and  serenely  as  if  he  had 
never  left  his  post;  as  if,  indeed,  it  were  the  same  sentry  that 
had  been  posted  there. 

The  officers  went  to  their  quarters,  one  of  them  passing  with 
in  a  yard  of  the  dead  soldier's  body^  but  not  one  had  the  slight- 


In  the  Enemy's  Camp. 


369 


est  suspicion  that  beneath  the  sentry's  gray  overcoat  there  was 
any  but  a  gray  uniform.  The  self-constituted  guard  continued 
to  perform  his  victim's  duty,  until  there  was  no  longer  any  dan 
ger  of  immediate  discovery  if  ho  deserted  his  post.  It  was  now 
two  o'clock;  it  would  be  five  before  he  could  reach  the  hollow 
stump  and  set  off  the  rockets ;  no  time  was  to  be  lost,  then,  if  the 
attack  was  to  begin  at  the  break  of  day.  Throwing  aside  his  over 
coat,  and  replacing  the  sombrero  by  his  cap,  he  made  for  the 
point  where  he  had  left  his  horse,  mounted,  and  passed  the 
inner  picket  safely  by  the  aid  of  the  countersign. 

Let  us  return  to  the 
anxious  watchers  for 
the  messenger,  who  had 
so  eagerly  welcomed 
Col.  Craig's  orderly. 
The  trooper  who  had 
acted  as  guide  had  not 
long  rejoined  his  com 
rades,  when  a  consider- 


Peering  into  the  Tent. 


able  body  of  men,  evi 
dently  a  reconnoitering 
party,  approached  the 
post. 

"Why,  Colonel,"  ex 
claimed  the  officer,  "I 
didn't  expect  to  see  you 
back  to-night." 

"  Did  you  think  I  was 
going  to  be  killed  or  cap 
tured  ?"  rejoined  the  new  comer,  good  humoredly. 

"  O  no,  but  I  understood  from  your  orderly  that  you  had  gone 
farther  down  the  valley,  and  intended  to  watch  the  enemy  all 
night." 

"My  orderly?"  exclaimed  the  colonel  in  surprise. 
"Yes,  that  you  sent  about  a  half-hour  or  so  ago,  with  themes- 
sage  that  the  enemy  were  either  stationary  or  retreating." 
"  I  sent  no  such  message — in  fact,  didn't  send  anybody  at  all." 

"It's  ad d  Yankee  trick,"  exclaimed  a  soldier,  of  quicker 

perceptions  than  the  others;  who,  thus  assisted,  saw  through 
the  whole  ruse. 

"Never  mind,  I'll  fix  him,"  said  the  picket-officer;  "we'll  get 


370 


In  the  Enemy's  Camp. 


him  good;  he  thinks  himself  so  mighty  smart  he'll  be  sure  to 

comeback  this  way  to  allay  suspicions;  d n  him,  he's  got 

the  countersign,  ain't  he,  Tom?" 

"Beckon  so — passed  the  inner  picket.     I  don't  think  he  heard 
me  give  it,  though." 

"Well,  it  don't  make  any  difference  how  he  got  it,  for  he  can't 
get  past  this  post  any  more'n  if  he  didn't  have  it." 

Col.  Craig  and  his 
men  departed,  and 
the  pickets  endeav 
ored  to  possess  their 
souls  in  patience  un 
til  the  return  of  the 
"  orderly." 

It  was  full  three 
o'clock  when  they 
heard  the  sound  of  a 
horseman's  approach 
and  challenged  him. 

"Tallahassee," 
answered  the  Fed 
eral. 

"No,    you    don't, 

you    d d    Yank  ; 

there  he  goes,  boys — 
fire !" 

The  word  of  com 
mand  was  unneces 
sary,  for  the  men, 
angry  at  having  been 
so  deceived,  were  in 
haste  to  avenge 
themselves  on  the 
deceiver.  Besides, 
who  knew  what  in 
formation  he  was 


Firing  the  Rockets. 


taking  to    the    ene 
my's  camp. 

Perceiving  that  his  true  character  was  known,  Leighton  dash 
ed  down  the  slope,  yelling,  with  an  insane  force,  the  counter 
sign—"  Tallahassee  !  Tallahassee !" 


In  the  Enemy's  Camp.  371 

t 
After  him  dashed  the  Confederates,  speedily  reinforced,  for 

their  shots  and  cries  had  alarmed  the  camp.  He  himself  could 
not  have  told  why  he  repeated,  again  and  again,  the  word  in 
which  he  had  trusted,  but  the  same  mountain-side  that  echoed 
back  the  clatter  of  the  horse's  hoofs,  the  clanking  of  the  sabres, 
the  shots  of  the  carbines,  the  yells  of  the  pursuers,  gave  back 
the  wild,  unmeaning  cry: 

"  Tallahassee  !     Tallahassee !" 

At  last,  favored  by  his  intimate  knowledge  of  the  country,  he 
skillfully  contrived  to  lose  himself  in  the  forest ;  and  as  they 
sought  to  regain  the  lost  trail,  he  dashed  onward  to  the  stump. 
At  last  it  is  reached ;  the  rockets  are  drawn  forth  ;  one  ascends, 
long  and  bright,  into  the  gloomy  sky  of  that  proverbial  "  dark 
est  hour  just  before  the  dawn  •"  and  even  as  its  brilliancy  fades 
into  the  night,  another  follows  it. 

Onward  he  galloped,  but  did  not  reach  the  camp.  The  col 
umn  was  moving  forward,  and,  forgetful  of  his  night's  work,  he 
fell  into  his  accustomed  place  and  returned  toward  the  Confed 
erate  lines.  Hurling  his  forces  against  the  Southern  centre, 
which  had  been  weakened  that  the  troops  might  be  massed  on 
the  left,  Gen.  Eosecrans  gained  the  victory  of  the  next  day;  a 
success  due  mainly  to  the  information  furnished  by  Lieutenant 
Leighton,  the  scout. 


•'KILDEE"  AND  HIS  FRIEND. 

The  "Birds" — Within  the  Enemy's  Lines— An  Unexpected  Obstacle — Difficulties 
of  the  Case — An  Inquiring  Mind — Satisfied — A  Mad  Hide — The  Chase — Cap 
tured  —  "Shall  We  Stretch  Legs  or  Hemp?"— "Let  Her  Koll,  Gallagher"  — 
They  Koll. 

A  HANDSOME  bird  is  the  joree,  with  the  three  black  feath- 
1\  ers  showing  distinctly  on  its  tail ;  other  marks  there  are, 
but  these  are  all  that  interest  us  at  present,  for  it  was  these  which 
caused  some  waggish  comrade,  seeing  the  three  black  stripes  on 
the  coat-tails  of  the  Twiggs  County  (Georgia)  Volunteers,  to 
nickname  them  the  Jorees.  Like  most  apt  sobriquets,  it  stuck; 
nor  were  they  at  all  averse  to  it.  One  of  the  "  birds/'  slender 
and  agile,  received  a  special  name*;  and  it  was  as  "  Kildee," 
rather  than  as  John  West,  that  he  was  best  known. 

His  proficiency  as  a  marksman  caused  him  to  be  enrolled  in  a 
body  of  thirteen  sharpshooters,  commanded  by  one  "  General" 
Brown  ;  and  so  great  were  the  services  rendered  by  this  hand 
ful  of  men,  that  Gen.  Lee  esteemed  them  as  more  useful  to  him 
than  was  any  regiment  in  the  army.  Nor  was  their  duty  over 
when  the  battle  ended.  On  more  than  one  occasion  the  various 
members  proved  themselves  as  wary  scouts  and  reliable  in  re- 
connoissance  as  any  others.  It  was  on  such  an  expedition  that 
the  chief  of  the  detachment  and  Kildee  were  bound  when  the 
incidents  of  the  following  story  occurred. 

They  had  penetrated  far  into  the  enemy's  country,  and  had 
ascertained  much  regarding  the  strength  and  disposition  of  his 
forces.  They  were  too  wary  to  carry  plans  or  estimates,  and 
trusted  to  their  memories  alone  to  reproduce  the  information  of 
which  they  had  thus  become  possessed.  After  several  close 

372 


"Kildee"  and  His  Friend.  373 

scrapes  in  slipping  through  the  pickets  of  the  opposing  forces, 
their  task  was  now  completed,  and  it  only  remained  for  them  to 
return  to  the  Confederate  camp  and  place  the  result  of  their  er 
rand  before  their  superior  officer. 

An  hour's  ride,  and  they  would  be  safe.  But  while  thus  ap 
parently  near  to  security,  they  came  somewhat  suddenly  upon 
an  unexpected  obstacle.  Along  the  road  below  their  hilly  route 
wound  a  long  wagon-train,  fully  guarded  by  the  enemy's  sol 
diers.  Brown  and  Kildee  halted  their  horses  a  moment  as  they 
came  upon  this  unexpected  sight.  Cross  the  road  they  must; 
but  where  should  they  find  a  break  in  the  train  ? 

"  We  have  been  in  sight  of  some  of  them,  and  will  be  suspect 
ed  and  chased  if  we  turn  around,"  remarked  Kildee,  anxiously. 

"Besides,  we  have  no  place  of  shelter  if  we  do  go  back,"  re 
plied  Brown,  thoughtfully  ;  "  that  sentry  we  eluded  last  has  of 
course  given  the  alarm  before  now,  that  two  of  l  Sheridan's 
aides'  (ha!  ha !)  passed  his  post  last  night;  and  they  may  be 
in  pursuit  now — may  be  on  our  very  heels." 

"The  rear  is  of  course  guarded  well,"  mused  Kildee. 

"It  seems  to  me,"  said  Brown,  "  that  our  only  hope  is  to  try 
and  get  ahead  of  the  train — cross  the  road  in  advance  of  it. 
Maybe,  by  pure  impudence,  we  can  avert  suspicion." 

The  two  disguised  Confederates  accordingly  rode  onward  af 
ter  this  brief  council  of  war,  in  the  hope  that  this  plan  would 
prove  feasible.  But  the  train,  the  van  of  which  had  not  been  in 
sight  from  the  spot  where  they  had  halted,  was  longer  and  farth 
er  ahead  of  them  than  they  had  thought  it  was;  the  proposed 
plan  was  wholly  impracticable. 

The  state  of  affairs  was  sufficiently  thrilling  to  satisfy  the  most 
daring  lover  of  adventure  :  before  them  was  the  wagon  train, 
behind  them  were  the  enemy's  camps,  and  they  wore  upon  their 
backs  blue  coats,  such  as  are  the  uniform  of  soldiers  in  the  U.  S. 
Army.  What  were  they  to  do?  A  few  words  to  Kildee,  and  the 
General,  riding  straight  toward  a  driver,  addressed  him  in  such 
a  tone  of  authority  as  became  his  apparent  rank: 

"  Turn  your  wagon  aside,  and  let  us  pass." 

But  the  driver  was  on  the  alert.  It  was  well  along  in  the  war, 
and  men  did  not  take  things  for  granted  as  they  had  done  at  first. 

"  I  must  know  by  whose  authority  you  give  the  order,  sir." 

"I  act  upon  my  own  authority,"  responded  the  Confederate, 
with  much  dignity — and  no  less  anxiety. 


374 


"Kildee"  and  His  Friend. 


"I  do  not  know  you,  sir/'  returned  the  driver,  coolly. 

"I  am  Colonel  Coleman,"  replied  Brown,  haughtily. 

But  the  Yankee  was  too  sharp  to  be  caught  in  any  such  way. 
Col.  Colemau  was  the  name  of  the  officer  in  command  of  the 
train,  as  he  knew ;  but  he  had  his  doubts  as  to  the  identity  of 
the  individual  before  him. 

"  I  cannot  turn  out,  sir,  without  the  direct  order  of  the  officer 
in  charge  of  this  section;  my  orders  are  very  strict,  as  I  suppose 
Col.  Coleman  knows." 


"Anything  but  capture." 

His  tone  was  civil  enough,  but  very  determined;  the  moments 
were  precious;  to  yield  the  question,  and  allow  him  to  pass  on, 
while  they  tried  the  same  plan  with  a  following  wagon,  would 
be  fatal,  as  it  would  strengthen  the  suspicions  of  this  man.  But 
one  reply  was  possible;  there  was  but  one  mode  of  gaining  a 
moment's  time ;  and  Brown,  drawing  his  revolver,  sent  that  an 
swer  crashing  through  the  brain  of  the  wary  driver.  Wheeling 
their  horses,  as  if  by  a  common  instinct,  they  dashed  along  the 
long  line  of  wagons  to  wards  the  rear,  hoping  to  pass  behind  them. 
Perhaps,  by  some  lucky  chance,  they  might  get  between  the  end 


and  His  Friend.  375 

of  the  train  and  the  van  of  the  guard.  It  was  dangerous,  of 
course,  but  was  it  any  more  so  than  their  present  situation? 

The  hoofs  clatter  along  the  road  at  full  speed  ;  and  the  drivers 
turn  to  look  after  the  two  men  riding  to  the  rear  at  such  a  pace. 
The  pistol-shot  has  scarcely  been  heard,  or  mistaken  for  an  un 
usually  loud  crack  of  a  whip.  They  reach  the  last  wagon,  and 
wheeling  suddenly  to  the  left,  cross  the  road  along  which  the 
train  has  come.  But  the  ride  at  break-neck  speed  has  not  been 
unobserved  by  the  company  of  cavalry  guarding  the  rear;  and 
a  shower  of  bullets  follows  the  daring  riders.  Onward  they 
dash,  and  the  horses  strain  their  muscles  to  take  the  stone  wall 
which  rises  before  them.  There  is  a  flying  leap  ;  but  just  as  Kil- 
dee's  horse  again  touches  the  earth  with  his  hoofs,  a  Federal  bul 
let  strikes  the  gallant  steed  behind  the  ear,  and  he  falls  to  the 
ground,  dead.  It  takes  but  a  moment  for  his  rider  to  extricate 
himself,  and,  gaining  his  feet,  run  at  full  speed  after  his  comrade 
who  is  still  mounted.  Brown  continues  the  race,  unable  to  do 
more  than  save  himself,  if  he  can  do  that;  but  he  has  not  gone 
twenty  paces  before  his  steed  meets  the  same  fate  as  his  friend's. 
Anything  but  capture!  And  they  madly  dash  forward  on  foot, 
as  if  their  utmost  fleetness  could  avail  against  that  of  the  cavalry 
horses  thundering  behind  them.  But  a  score  of  Federals  over 
take  and  surround  them,  and  they  are  carried  back  to  the  road 
which  they  had  so  hurriedly  left,  under  a  strong  guard.  Men  so 
desperate  as  they  were  could  not  be  sent  back  to  the  main  camp 
without  a  stronger  guard  than  the  officer  in  command  of  the 
wagon-train  could  spare  from  his  force;  so  the  two  prison 
ers  remained  in  charge  of  their  captors,  and  continued  the  jour 
ney.  The  outlook  was  not  a  cheerful  one.  At  noon  of  the  next 
day,  the  train  would  arrive  at  its  destination  ;  the  prisoners 
would  be  at  once  handed  over  to  the  military  authorities,  tried, 
sentenced,  and  executed  as  spies.  Their  blue  coats  forbade  the 
expectation  of  any  other  fate. 

Night  came  on,  and  the  detachment  halted.  A  square,  several 
yards  in  extent,  was  marked  out  as  the  place  for  the  prisoners. 
On  each  side  of  this  square  a  sentry  was  stationed,  instructed  to 
pace  back  and  forth  until  duly  relieved,  keeping  a  strict  watch 
upon  the  captives ;  and  the  prisoners  lay  in  the  long  grass  in 
the  centre,  wondering  what  miracle  could  set  them  free. 

Night  wore  on,  and  the  stars  shone  clearly  from  the  dark  blue 
summer  sky.  The  heat  that  had  so  oppressed  them  during  the 


376  "Kildee"  and  His  Friend. 

day  was  forgotten  in  the  comfort  which  the  cool  breezes  brought 
alike  to  captors  and  captives.  The  air  grew  cooler,  and  by  the 
time  the  guard  was  changed,  was  quite  moist;  clouds,  too,  cov 
ered  the  sky,  and  hid  the  stars  from  view.  Silently  Kildee 
thanked  Heaven  that  it  was  so. 

ISTot  a  sound  broke  the  stillness  of  the  night  but  the  wind  sigh 
ing  in  the  leaves  of  the  trees  near  by,  and  the  tread  of  the  sen 
tinels  on  the  long,  soft  grass.  Noiselessly  Kildee  rolled  over 
and  touched  his  companion  in  misfortune.  Brown  was  on  the 
qui  vive  in  an  instant. 

"I  think  Fll  get  out  of  this,"  remarked  the  sharpshooter,  in 
a  whisper,  as  coolly  as  if  it  rested  entirely  with  himself. 

Had  the  darkness  been  less  intense,  the  expression  on  Brown's 
face  would  have  been  a  more  eloquent  reply  than  words  ;  as  it 
was,  he  responded,  "  How  are  you  going  to  do  it  ?  " 

"  I'd  rather  risk  four  bullets  in  the  dark  than  twenty  in  day 
light,"  was  the  answer;  "and  we  are  certain  to  be  shot  as  spies 
if  we  do  not  get  out  of  their  clutches  to-night." 

"  Yes,"  was  the  gloomy  response,  "  shot  or — " 

The  speaker  did  not  name  the  alternative,  though  it  was  not 
absent  from  his  thoughts,  or  his  companion's.  Then  Kildee  un 
folded  his  plan,  which  only  the  intense  darkness  made  feasible. 
The  beat  of  each  one  of  their  guards  was  about  eight  yards. 
Was  it  possible  to  pass  them?  Failure  could  result  in  nothing 
worse  than  they  were  sure  to  experience  if  they  made  no  effort. 

"  Except  that  an  unsuccessful  attempt  will  alarm  them,  and 
we  will  not  have  another  opportunity,  objected  Brown. 

"What  do  you  think  would  be  a  better  plan?"  asked  Kildee. 

The  argument  was  unanswerable,  and  Brown  finally  agreed  to 
risk  all  that  his  comrade  dared.  To  rise  would  of  course  expose 
them  to  the  sight  of  the  guard,  for  even  through  the  darkness 
of  the  night  they  could  see  dimly  the  forms  of  the  soldiers  pass 
ing  to  and  fro  ;  they  must  not  outline  themselves  against  the 
sky,  even  though  it  be  a  dark  one.  Rolling,  slowly  and  noise 
lessly,  they  advanced  from  the  centre  of  the  square  assigned 
them,  until  they  had  almost  reached  its  bounds.  But  now  they 
must  pause,  for  the  sentinel  has  turned  on  his  beat,  and  is  ad 
vancing  toward  them.  The  slightest  rustling  in  the  grass  may 
excite  his  suspicions,  and  so  they  lie  still  as  death,  scarcely  dar 
ing  even  to  breathe,  lest  he  find  how  near  thejTare  to  the  bounds 
of  their  square.  He  paces  onward,  and  as  soon  as  his  back  is 


"Kildee"  and  His  Friend.  377 

turned,  they  are  ready  to  roll  farther  from  the  centre.  But  they 
hardly  deem  it  safe,  before  he  halts,  and  leans  forward,  peer 
ing  through  the  darkness.  He  turns,  although  he  has  scarcely 
reached  the  middle  of  his  beat,  and  retraces  his  steps.  They  feel 
that  he  suspects  them,  and  make  no  sign.  At  almost  every  step 
he  halts,  and  it  seems  to  them  that  they  are  discovered  to  a  cer 
tainty.  But  he  passes  on ;  and  this  time  he  completes  his  beat 
before  returning.  Still  they  dare  not  move,  but  wait  until  his 
suspicions  are  allayed.  He  returns,  and  when,  for  the  fourth 
time,  he  has  passed  so  near  them  that  their  hands,  outstretched, 
might  have  touched  his  feet,  he  walks  with  the  sentinel's  ordi 
nary  regular  pace.  They  are  safe  from  him,  for  the  present. 

At  last  they  were  without  the  square,  and  any  slight  rustling 
in  the  grass  would  not  excite  the  alarm  of  the  guards,  as  it 
would  be  sure  to  do  if  heard  in  the  place  where  the  prisoners 
were  supposed  to  be  lying.  Still  it  was  not  safe  to  let  themselves 
be  seen  by  any  chance  gleam  of  starlight;  and  they  rolled  past 
the  outer  pickets  in  the  same  manner.  When  they  were  about 
fifty  yards  from  the  limits  of  the  camp,  they  straightened  up, 
and  struck  out  for  the  mountains.  They  knew  the  fastnesses  of 
the  hills  "  as  seamen  know  the  sea,"  and  well  for  them  that  they 
did.  Clambering  in  the  darkness  to  a  place  almost  inaccessible 
save  to  those  who  were  well  acquainted  with  its  situation,  they 
lay  still  until  morning,  which  was  not  then  far  oif. 

At  the  first  gleam  of  light,  the  sentries  discovered  that  their 
beats  surrounded  a  vacant  space ;  and  the  alarm  was  at  once  giv 
en.  But,  luckily  for  the  fugitives,  a  heavy  shower,  coming  up 
towards  dawn,  had  quite  obliterated  all  traces  of  their  escape, 
and  the  guards  could  not  tell  in  what  direction  they  had  gone. 
To  explore  the  mountains  would  be  an  endless  and  dangerous 
task,  requiring  so  many  men  that  the  train  would  have  been  left 
to  the  mercy  of  a  mere  handful  of  Confederates ;  and  Col.  Cole- 
man  (the  real  one)  did  not  think  that  the  case  required  such  a 
risk.  Thus  our  two  scouts  escaped,  though  it  was  not  without 
some  days'  rough  traveling,  without  food  of  any  kind,  that  they 
reached  the  Confederate  headquarters.  Whether  the  information 
which  they  were  able  to  furnish  was  any  advantage  to  Gen.  Lee 
a  few  days  Inter  at  Cold  Harbor,  history  does  not  relate;  but 
Kildee  did  excellent  service  as  a  sharpshooter  in  that  battle. 


AN  ESCAPE  FROM  LIBBY. 

Defying  Search — Resolution  to  Escape — Opinion  of  Others — A  Companion — An 
Unsuccessful  Plan — Another  Mode  Proposed — Mystifying  their  Comrades — 
Passing  the  Guards  —  At  the  Rendezvous — A  Keen-eyed  Stranger — The 
Source  of  Help— At  the  Picket  Post. 

"TT1AKLY  in  October,  1863,  a  new  batch  of  prisoners  arrived  in 
Pj  Kichmond,  having  just  come  from  the  prison  at  Belle  Isle, 
where  they  had  been  confined  five  days.  They  were  sent  to 
Libby  Prison.  It  is  with  one  of  these  men,  Corporal  Purdum, 
that  our  present  narrative  concerns  itself. 

Before  the  search  of  the  prisoners  took  place,  he  had  taken 
one  of  the  buttons  of  his  blouse  apart,  pressed  a  ten-dollar  bill 
into  it,  and  fastened  it  together  in  such  a  way  that  the  keenest 
eye  would  not  detect  the  difference.  By  means  of  this  greenback 
he  was  enabled,  during  the  earlier  days  of  his  captivity,  to  ob 
tain  rations  which  were,  in  quantity  and  quality,  far  beyond 
those  given  out  by  the  prison  officials.  But  time  went  on,  and 
after  a  few  days  the  money  gave  out.  Haversack  and  pocket- 
knife  were  then  traded  for  the  much  desired  articles  of  food; 
,but  at  last  every  resource  was  exhausted,  and  there  were  but  two 
courses  remaining.  One  of  these  was  to  stay  in  the  prison  and 
suffer,  as  he  saw  the  men  around  him  suffering;  the  other  was 
to  attempt  to  escape.  To  his  comrades  he  mentioned  the  alterna 
tives. 

"  There's  really  no  choice,"  said  one,  "though  you  think  there 
is.  You  could  never  get  away — never." 

"  One  could  at  least  die  in  the  attempt,"  he  answered,  dogged 
ly,  "and  that  would  be  bettor  than  to  die  by  inches  here,  as 
we're  all  sure  to  do  if  we  don't  get  awa>.' 
378 


An  Escape  from  Libby. 


379 


"  It  is  simply  suicide,"  said  another,  shaking  his  head;  "as 
good  a  way  as  any  would  he  to  jump  from  one  of  the  windows 
of  the  fourth  story." 

"  Still,  I  think  I  shall  make  the  effort,"  returned  the  corporal, 
unconvinced  by  all  that  might  be  said. 

"Corporal,  are  you  quite  determined  to  go  ?"  asked  a  young 
Pennsylvanian,  who  had  been  a  silent  auditor  of  the  discussion. 

"Quite,"  was  the  brief  answer. 

"  Well,  so  am  I.     Suppose  we  try  it  together  ?" 


Libby  Prison. 

The  proposition  was  accepted,  and  the  two  set  their  wits  to 
work  to  devise  a  plan.  But  it  seemed  to  be  in  vain.  From  the 
windows  of  the  upper  floor  they  could  get  a  good  view  of  a  con 
siderable  part  of  the  city.  But  it  seemed  like  the  view  which 
Moses  had  of  the  Promised  Land;  they  could  look  upon  it,  but 
that  was  all.  However,  there  was  no  harm  in  saying  what  they 
would  do  if  they  were  fortunate  enough  to  getaway.  There  was 
no  telling  when  they  might  be  closely  confined  to  one  of  the 
lower  floors,  so  that  they  reconnoitered  carefully  from  the  fourth 
story  windows,  and  marked  out  the  route  to  be  pursued,  if  ever 
opportunity  should  offer.  Directly  east  for  four  or  five  miles, 
then  slightly  towards  the  south,  and  they  would  come  out  near 
the  Federal  lines  at  Williamsburg. 

It  was  long  before  the  days  of  that  famous  tunnel,  which  for 


380  An  Escape  from  Libby. 

so  many  of  the  prisoners  was  the  path  to  liberty,  and  for  some 
to  the  grave.  Tunneling,  indeed,  seems  to  have  been  unthought 
of,  or  dismissed  as  utterly  impracticable.  Their  first  attempt 
was  an  effort  to  make  use  of  some  planks  that  had  been  nailed 
up  at  the  rear  of  the  building.  To  get  these  up  to  a  window,  and 
lay  them  across  to  the  fence,  was  the  first  thing  to  be  done  ;  they 
worked  night  after  night,  for  of  course  they  could  do  nothing 
during  the  day ;  but  alas  for  their  love  of  liberty  !  Their  labors 
were  discovered,  and  although  they  were  not,  as  in  many  other 
prisons,  punished  for  the  attempt,  they  were  of  course  obliged 
to  lay  some  other  plan.  But  what  plan  could  possibly  be  exe 
cuted  ? 

"I  just  tell  you  what  it  is,"  said  Purdum,  as  the  two  sat  in 
council,  "the  building's  so  closely  guarded  that  there's  only  one 
way  to  get  out." 

"  What's  that?"  asked  the  other. 

"  Walk  out  of  the  door,"  replied  the  corporal.  "  You  may  not 
believe  it,  but  I  tell  you  it'll  have  to  come  to  that,  yet." 

"  But  I  don't  see  how  it  is  to  be  done,"  persisted  the  Pennsyl- 
vanian. 

"  Hi,  Purdum,  you  here  yet  ?"  called  a  waggish  comrade,  who 

chanced  to  come  near  them  ;  "why,  I  thought  you  and  B had 

escaped  ages  ago." 

"We  did  come  mighty  near  it,"  answered  Purdum,  good-na 
turedly,  "  but  we  slipped  up  somehow.  As  I  tell  you,"  this  to 

B ,  "  we'll  have  to  walk  out.  They're  cleaning  up  the  prison 

now,  so  it's  a  pretty  good  time.  We'll  have  to  get  Rebel  uni 
forms,  of  course." 

"  Well,  if  you  think  it  can  be  done,  all  right.  We'll  try  it. 
But  don't  say  a  word  about  it  to  the  others — they  chaff  us  un 
mercifully  now,"  stipulated  B . 

The  Confederate  uniforms  were  obtained,  by  what  means  does 
not  appear.  So  many  of  the  men  who  narrate  their  own  adven 
tures  of  this  kind  do  not  seem  to  realize  that  the  main  interest 
lies  in  the  details,  and  not  in  the  facts.  The  day  that  the  second 
suit  was  procured  was  the  one  set  for  trying  the  plan. 

At  dusk  they  were  ready,  but  it  was  agreed  to  wait  until  the 
relief  guard  came  on  duty  at  seven  o'clock  before  the  game  was 
tried.  In  the  meantime,  they  walked  about  the  prison,  clad  in 
their  gray  uniforms,  to  see  if  their  comrades  would  suspect  them. 
All  took  them  to  be  Confederates. 


An  Escape  from  Libby.  381 

"Are  you  busy,  sir?"  asked  a  low  voice  in  Purdum's  ear. 

"  Well,  no,  not  so  very." 

"Just  step  aside  here,  will  you.  I'd  like  to  see  you  a  moment." 

The  speaker  was  one  of  the  prisoners.  Greatly  mystified,  the 
corporal  complied  with  the  request. 

"  See  here,  I  wish  you'd  try  and  get  me  out  of  prison,  won't 
you?  I  don't  belong  here,  really.  I  was  conscripted  ;  I  didn't 
want  to  fight  against  the  South ;  I've  never  been  in  a  battle  and 
never  fired  a  gun  at  the  Southern  people.  I'd  give  most  anything 
to  a  man  that  would  get  me  out  of  prison." 

"Well,  I'll  see  about  it,"  replied  Purdum,  who  found,  by  this 
means,  that  his  disguise  was  perfect.  They  were  solicited 
several  times  by  other  prisoners,  who  asked  them  to  bring  in 
bread  ;  but  they  excused  themselves  from  this  favor  by  pleading 
that  the  guard  would  not  permit  trading.  At  length  the  ap 
pointed  hour  arrived,  and  Purdum  presented  himself  at  the  door, 
it  having  been  arranged  that  he  was  to  make  the  first  attempt. 
He  passed  unchallenged  by  the  guard,  who  supposed  he  was 
simply  one  of  the  soldiers  that  had  been  superintending  the 
cleaning  of  the  building.  Not  so  the  sentinel  at  the  outer  line, 
on  the  street. 

"Halt!     Who  goes  there?" 

"  A  friend,"  replied  Purdum. 

"Where  do  you  come  from" 

"I  am  Police  Sergeant,  and  have  been  directing  the  cleaning 
of  the  prison." 

"I  have  no  orders  to  let  you  pass,  sir,"  said  the  guard. 

"  Probably  because  it  is  a  matter  of  course  that  I  should  be  al 
lowed  to  pass;  or  perhaps  I  am  later  than  usual  this  evening, 
and  they  expected  me  to  be  out  before  you  came  on  duty.  I 
usually  am  through  earlier.  The  guard  has  just  been  changed, 
hasn't  it?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  very  meekly. 

"  That  explains  it,  then.  But  you  are  not  going  to  keep  me 
in,  are  you?" 

"  Oh  no,  certainly  not,  sir;  pass  on;"  and  the  guard  saluted 
as  though  to  a  superior  officer. 

B was  less  fortunate.  The  first  guard  would  not  let  him 

pass.  He  was  therefore  reduced  to  strategy,  and,  much  to  his 
disgust,  was  obliged  to  take  some  of  his  companions  into  the  se 
cret.  These  comrades  made  a  demonstration  at  one  of  the  win- 


382 


An  Escape  from  Libby. 


dows  which  attracted  the  attention  of  the  guard,  and  while  he 

was  busily  looking  to  find  out  what  was  the  matter  there,  B 

slipped  past  him  and  escaped  by  crawling  under  some  boards  ly 
ing  near  by.    He  was  not  halted  by  the  guard  on  the  street,  and 


Passing  the  Guard. 

soon  arrived  at  the  appointed  rendezvous,  a  small  hill  some 
three  squares  from  the  prison.  Here  he  found  Puraam,  who  had 
been  waiting  for  nearly  an  hour  and  a  half,  and  was  almost  froz 
en  with  the  long  inaction  in  the  chilling  November  air. 

They  dared    not  congratulate  each  other  in  words  j  only  a  si- 


An  Escape  from  Libby.  383 

lent  pressure  of  the  hands,  a  glad  look  into  each  other's  eyes; 
and  they  started  on  their  perilous  journey  through  the  enemy's 
country,  alone,  without  friends  or  money.  Guided  only  by  the 
stars,  they  pursued  the  route  which  they  had  planned  before  set 
ting  out.  They  crossed  the  woods  and  fields,  traveling  at  a  good 
round  pace,  until  they  came  to  the  fortifications;  these  must  be 
approached  with  more  caution.  But  any  fears  which  they  might 
have  entertained  proved  groundless,  for  the  defenses  were  pass 
ed  in  safety.  Once  beyond  the  intrenchments,  they  thought  they 
might  venture  to  ask  for  guidance  ;  but  although  they  were  care 
ful  to  select  a  humble  house,  apparently  tenanted  by  negroes, 
their  knock  at  the  door  received  nb  response.  There  was  noth 
ing  to  be  done,  then,  but  to  make  their  way  onward  as  best  they 
might.  Fortunately,  the  sky  was  cloudless,  and  these  wander 
ers  in  an  unknown  country,  without  guide  or  compass,  literally 
received  aid  from  on  high. 

So  they  traveled  on  until  about  two  o'clock.  "Weak  and  tired, 
they  were  obliged  to  rest;  and  stealing  into  an  old  stable,  they 
went  in  and  laid  down.  But  thinly  clad  as  they  were,  the  bit 
ing  air  of  the  November  night  chilled  them  to  the  bone;  and 
after  a  brief  trial  of  the  stable,  they  were  only  too  glad  to  seek 
shelter  in  a  neighboring  house.  Here  they  found  a  friend  in  its 
solitary  occupant,  an  aged  negress,  who  gave  them  not  only 
shelter  and  warmth,  but  shared  with  them  her  scanty  supply  of 
food.  At  this  place  they  learned  that  they  had  traveled  ten 
miles  in  the  direction  which  they  wished  to  take.  Early  in  the 
morning,  they  again  set  out ;  for  their  dress  made  it  possible  for 
them  to  travel  by  day  without  being  suspected.  Indeed  they  met 
many  persons  who  would  doubtless  have  returned  them  to  Lib 
by  had  not  the  Confederate  uniform  deceived  them.  At  noon 
they  were  fed  by  a  woman  whose  husband  was  in  the  Southern 
army;  from  her,  too,  they  learned  much  about  the  roads. 

They  reached  the  Chickahominy  river,  twenty  miles  from 
Richmond.  Oh  for  one  of  those  long  bridges  which  had  been 
destroyed  when  McClellan  advanced  towards  Richmond  !  But 
the  wish  was  ungratified,  and  they  set  to  work  to  find  some  oth 
er  means  of  crossing  the  river.  Two  logs  felled  for  some  pur 
pose  and  left  to  lie  where  they  had  fallen,  served  as  rude  rafts; 
a  long  stout  limb  of  a  tree  enabled  each  to  "pole"  himself  over. 
But  one  of  their  greatest  perils  was  to  be  encountered  after  this 
difficulty  had  been  surmounted.  This  was  nothing  else  than  the 


384  An  Escape  from  Libby. 

meeting  with  a  man  whom  at  first  they  took  for  a  Confederate 
soldier.  They  afterward  found,  however,  that  his  gray  suit  was 
not  a  uniform,  but  simple  citizen's  homespun,  dyed  with  spruce 
pine  roots,  and  worn  as  a  piece  of  necessary  economy  in  those 
days  of  the  blockade. 

"  Where  do  you  belong  ?"  was  almost  his  first  question. 

"To  the  Nineteenth  Virginia  Battalion,  guarding  prisoner-61 
at  Richmond,"  Purdum  answered,  gravely. 

"  Where  are  you  going?" 

"  Home  on  furlough,"  was  the  reply  which  came  promptly. 

The  stranger  looked  sharply  at  them  for  full  a  minute;  but 
they  returned  his  gaze  with  as  much  of  honesty  and  frankness  a? 
they  could  summon  to  the  support  of  falsehood. 

"Oh,  pshaw,"  he  ejaculated,  laughing  ;  "  you  needn'ttry  to  fool 
me.  You're  escaped  prisoners,  trying  to  get  to  the  Federal  lines." 

With  an  air  that  seemed  to  say,  "  You'd  better  not  know  so 
much  than  know  so  much  that  ain't  so,"  Purdum  gravely  assur 
ed  him  that  he  misjudged  them  ;  but  the  assurance  produced  lit 
tle  or  no  effect. 

"You'd  better  turn  back  to  Richmond  ;  you'll  never  get  past 
the  pickets,"  he  said,  shaking  his  head. 

"We'll  turnback  when  our  furlough  ends,"  said  Purdum, 
"  and  not  a  day  before." 

"Well,  good-bye  and  good  luck  to  you, "he  said,"but  I'm  afraid 
you  will  never  get  to  your  friends." 

Off  rode  the  keen-eyed  stranger,  and  the  two  Federals  sped  on 
ward  in  the  opposite  direction,  intent  upon  putting  as  many 
miles  as  possible  between  themselves  and  the  man  who  had  sus 
pected  their  true  character.  They  walked  five  miles  at  a  rapid 
pace,  without  meeting  anyone,  save  here  and  there  a  party  of 
children  on  their  way  to  school.  These  they  dared  not  question 
for  fear  that  the  circumstances  be  related  at  home,  and  the  par 
ents  led  to  suspect  the  questioners.  The  only  class  of  persons  of 
whom  they  dared  inquire  was  the  negroes,  and  at  last  they  met  a 
colored  man.  He  proved  to  be  a  valuable  acquaintance,  furnish 
ing  much  information  which  was  really  necessary.  He  told  them 
where  the  pickets  were  and  how  to  evade  them;  and  he  told 
them  where  they  would  find  another  friend — a  free  negro.  This 
man  had  been  left  in  charge  of  a  large  house  by  the  owner,  and 
gladly  sheltered  the  escaping  Federals  for  the  night,  providing 
them  with  fire  and  food. 


An  Escape  from  Libby. 


385 


How  soon  their  absence  would  be  discovered,  or  whether  they 
would  be  pursued,  they  of  course  did  not  know;  but  their  anx 
iety  to  reach  the  Federals  lines  was  doubled  by  the  fear  of  being 
overtaken  and  conveyed  back  to  Libby.  Only  a  few  hours,  then, 
did  they  spend  in  the  mansion  whose  owner  would  never  have 
entertained  such  as  they;  and  then  they  were  on  their  way  again 
at  daylight. 

Danger  threatened  again;    for  they  were  hardly  out  of  sight 


In  Hiding. 

before  they  saw  a  squad  of  cavalry  approaching.  But  trusting 
that  they  themselves  had  not  been  seen  or  noticed,  and  guided 
by  their  black  friend,  they  struck  into  the  woods  that  bordered 
the  road.  The  troopers  rode  on  by  their  hiding-place,  little 
dreaming  what  a  prize  was  within  their  very  grasp ;  the  escaped 
prisoners  made  their  best  time  for  a  full  half  mile,  but  finding 
that  their  first  conjecture  was  right,  and  that  they  were  not  pur 
sued,  they  slackened  their  pace  to  a  rate  that  they  could  keep 
up  under  ordinary  circumstances.  Still,  they  dared  not  venture 
back  to  the  road,  for  fear  that  others  would  be  keener-eyed  or 
less  unsuspicious.  Their  colored  host  soon  left  them,  but  occa 
sionally  they  still  sought  out  a  negro  cabin  that  they  might  ask 
about  the  way;  and  by  this  means  learned  of  many  by-paths  of 


386  An  Escape  from  Libby. 

which  only  those  well  acquainted  with  the  country  could  know. 

The  same  friendly,  dusky  hands  pointed  the  way  to  a  shelter  at 
night;  and  brought  out  a  homely  store  of  sweet  potatoes  and 
corn-dodgers  for  their  refreshment  and  sustenance.  Bright  and 
early  the  next  morning  they  were  again  on  the  way,  although 
they  were  obliged  to  travel  still  in  the  woods  and  lost  much  time 
by  mistaking  their  route.  Being  now  in  the  space  between  the 
lines  of  the  two  armies,  they  were  in  danger  of  meeting  with 
Confederate  scouts,  who  would  be  likely  to  recapture  them. 
They  did  indeed  see  several  of  such  parties,  but  being  on  the 
alert,  managed  to  evade  them. 

Over  a  rough  road,  through  almost  impenetrable  forests  and 
swamps,  they  toiled  painfully  on,  fearing  every  moment  that 
they  might  hear  the  ominous  summons  to  halt  from  some  enemy 
half-hidden  among  the  thick  trees.  At  last,  however,  they 
reached  the  place  where  they  had  been  told  that  they  would  find 
shelter  for  the  night.  Would  it  be  the  last  night?  Their  in 
formants,  kept  ignorant  through  generations  of  servitude,  and 
long  ages  of  savagery  preceding  slavery,  could  not  judge  accur 
ately  of  numbers  or  distances  ;  could  not  tell  how  long  it  might 
be  before  they  should  reach  that  haven  of  safety,  a  Federal 
picket  post.  Their  present  host,  however,  was  perhaps  more 
intelligent,  perhaps  had  more  often  been  over  the  route;  he 
assured  them  that  they  were  seven  miles  from  the  Federal  lines. 

Their  hearts  leaped  as  they  heard  his  words,  and  they  felt  almost 
that  they  must  go  on;  but.  they  were  footsore  and  weary,  almost 
fainting  from  lack  of  food  and  from  their  long  journey.  Then, 
too,  they  were  almost  as  safe  as  if  they  were  fairly  within  the 
lines  ;  and  they  concluded  to  rest  for  the  night.  They  were  fed 
and  lodged,  then,  by  this  kind  friend,  who  went  with  them  two 
miles  on  their  journey  the  next  morning,  leaving  them  grate 
fully  to  trudge  the  rest  of  their  way. 

"Hey,  Johnny,"  cried  a  picket,  as  they  came  in  sight;  "get 
ting  tired,  'cause  we  don't  let  you  alone?" 

"We're  not  deserters,"  replied  Purdum,  "but  escaped  prison 
ers  from  Libby." 

Nor  were  they  the  less  welcome  because  they  were  not  desert 
ers  from  the  Confederate  Army,  as  the  pickets  had  at  first  sup 
posed  them  to  be.  They  were  duly  escorted  to  camp,  and  made 
much  of;  for  every  man  that  escaped  from  Libby  in  those  days 
was,  in  the  eyes  of  his  friends,  a  hero,  hardly  second  to  the  man 
who  captured  a  battle-flag  from  the  enemy. 


CHAPTER 


A  DANGEROUS  MISSION. 

Necessity  for  Trusty  Messenger — Col.  Baker  Volunteers — Dispatches  Delivered — 
Dange.  Ahead — "Worse  and  More  of  It— The  Whole  Confederate  Army — A 
Break  in  the  Column — Dashes  Through — Pursued— Difficulties — Stratagem — 
Success — A  Close  Contest — Bull  Eun — The  Stream  is  Crossed— Escape  of 

Messenger. 

KKYING-  dispatches  between  the  two  parts  of  an  army  is 
one  of  the  most  perilous,  as  it  is  one  of  the  most  necessary 
branches  of  service,  during  time  of  war.  The  partisan  has,  usu 
ally,  the  advantage  of  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  country  in 
which  he  is  to  operate,  and  can  often  elude  his  pursuers  by 
means  of  some  feature  of  it  of  which  they  are  ignorant;  but  the 
bearer  of  dispatches  must  often  trust  to  the  information  which 
others  give  him  ;  his  mission  must  be  performed  with  speed; 
and  if  the  enemy  be  made  aware  of,  or  even  suspect  his  presence, 
the  capture  of  his  papers  immediately  becomes  the  thing  most 
earnestly  desired. 

When  Gen.  Pope  retreated  before  Lee's  army  in  the  fall  of 
1863,  and  Gen.  Banks,  without  being  aware  of  the  extent  of  the 
disaster,  had  left  the  Sheiiandoah  Yalley  in  order  to  effect  a 
junction  with  him,  it  became  highly  essential  that  the  War  De 
partment  at  Washington  should  communicate  to  Banks imforma- 
tion  of  the  dangers  that  lay  before  him.  Two  messengers  were 
successively  dispatched;  the  first  was  captured;  the  second 
penetrated  some  distance  into  the  enemy's  country,  but  returned 
before  he  had  accomplished  his  mission,  saying  it  was  a  greater 
risk  than  he  was  prepared  to  take.  The  danger  was  becoming 
greater,  the  necessity  more  urgent,  every  hour.  In  this  dilem 
ma,  Secretary  Stanton  sent  for  Col.  Baker,  the  Chief  of  the  Na- 
25  387 


388  A  Dangerous  Mission. 

tional   Detective  Service,    and,   when    he    arrived,  asked   him: 

"  Have  you  any  reliable  man  who  will  undertake  to  carry  dis 
patches  to  G-en.  Banks?" 

The  chief  thought  rapidly  over  the  men  in  the  service — nearly 
or  quite  four  hundred  in  number  ;  but  no  one  seemed  available. 
Hardly  a  moment  had  elapsed  before  he  was  ready  to  answer: 

"  If  you  will  get  the  dispatches  ready  sir  I  will  see  that  an 
attempt  is  made  to  deliver  them." 

More,  of  course,  he  could  not  positively  promise,  but  the  Sec 
retary  knew  his  man,  and  was  satisfied.  A  time  was  set  when 
the  papers  should  be  prepared,  and  the  subordinate  retired  to  fit 
himself  out  for  the  journey  Of  course,  the  most  important 
thing  was  a  fleet  horse ;  and  once  provided  with  this,  his  prepar 
ations  were  soon  completed.  Concealing  the  dispatches  next  his 
skin,  he  set  out  on  his  lonely  journey.  Leaving  the  capital  at 
six  in  the  evening,  he  reached  Gen.  McDowell's  headquarters 
after  a  few  hours'  ride;  but  such  was  the  confusion  into  which 
everything  had  been  thrown,  that  the  horse  he  desired  could  not 
be  furnished  him,  and  he  was  obliged  to  make  the  whole  journey 
on  the  now  wearied  animal  with  which  he  had  been  furnished  at 
Washington.  Through  a  driving  rain,  which  was  welcome  be 
cause  it  afforded  a  promise  of  greater  security,  he  rode  on, 
reaching  Gen.  Banks'  headquarters  at  about  dawn. 

The  dispatches  were  delivered  to  the  officer,  who  was  as 
anxious  to  receive  them  as  the  Secretary  had  been  to  send  them; 
and  the  messenger  was  given  fresh  dispatches  to  deliver  to  the 
Department.  Disregarding  the  fact  that  he  had  been  in  the  sad 
dle  all  night,  accomplishing  during  that  space  a  distance  of  sixty 
miles,  he  determined  to  lose  no  time  in  returning.  Being  now 
sure  of  the  location  of  the  point  which  he  desired  to  reach,  he 
determined  to  make  no  circuit,  but  to  ride  directly  for  the  Con 
federate  lines.  He  had  not  gone  far  before  a  dark  line  on  the 
horizon  revealed  the  presence  of  danger;  approaching  cautiously, 
yet  rapidly,  he  found  it  was  the  enemy's  entire  force,  marching  in 
an  easterly  direction  towards  the  famous  battle-ground  of  Bull 
Eun.  Detachments  of  infantry,  cavalry  and  artillery  occupied  the 
whole  country  ahead  of  him  ;  almost  the  only  means  of  reaching 
his  destination  was  to  ride  rapidly  through  one  of  the  spaces  be 
tween  two  of  these  squads. 

Of  course  this  was  dangerous  in  the  extreme,  and  no  one  real 
ized  that  it  was  so,  better  than  the  man  who  was  to  make  the 


A  Dangerous  Mission.  389 

effort.  By  making  a  wide  circuit,  he  might  have  been  able  to 
ride  around  them  in  safety ;  but  this  would  take  longer  than  he 
desired  to  be  on  the  journey  ;  he  preferred  to  encounter  the  dan 
ger,  rather  than  to  lose  the  time.  For  nearly  an  hour,  from  a 
position  not  more  than  three  hundred  yards  from  the  main  col 
umn,  he  watched  for  a  favorable  opportunity  to  accomplish  his 
daring  project.  At  last  it  presented  itself.  "With  his  revolver 
firmly  grasped  in  his  right  hand,  but  held  in  such  a  way  as  near 
ly  to  conceal  it,  and  guiding  his  horse  with  his  left  hand,  he  gal 
loped  at  full  speed  towards  a  break  in  the  column.  At  first,  the 
Confederates  were  uncertain  as  to  who  he  might  be,  or  what  might 
be  his  errand ;  possibly  he  was  one  of  their  own  men,  sent  on 
some  mission,  and  now  desirous  of  gaining  his  command  ;  an  aid 
with  orders  from  the  general;  a  messenger  from  Jackson  or 
some  other  officer.  But  when,  after  reaching  the  opening,  he 
galloped  straight  onward  past  the  column,  his  movements  be 
came  suspicious,  and  a  dozen  voices  commanded  him  to  halt. 
The  summons  was  of  course  unheeded  ;  it  thus  became  certain 
that  he  was  an  enemy,  and  many  of  the  soldiers  fired  after  him. 
This  was  no  more  than  he  expected,  and  he  was  prepared  for  it. 
Bending  low  upon  the  neck  of  his  horse,  he  urged  the  tired  animal 
onward  while  the  bullets  whistled  above  his  head.  Thus  protect 
ed  by  his  position,  the  only  evil  that  could  befall  him  was  an 
injury  to  his  horse  ;  but  fortunately  this  was  escaped. 

He  was  not  out  of  sight  before  a  cavalry  squad  of  forty  came 
up  with  the  body  of  infantry  whose  shots  he  had  escaped, 
and  was  ordered  in  pursuit.  Matters  had  now  become  serious, 
for  his  horse  was  jaded  with  the  long  night  ride,  while  theirs 
were  probably  comparatively  fresh;  then,  too,  the  immense  dis 
proportion  of  numbers  would  make  it  next  to  impossible  for  him 
to  baffle  pursuit.  The  Confederates,  however,  were  not  aware 
that  he  had  on  his  person  dispatches  from  Gen.  Banks  to  the 
Secretary  of  War;  and  when  the  chase  had  continued  for  about 
a  mile,  and  appeared  more  unavailing  than  ever,  they  began  to 
be  discouraged.  One  after  another  they  departed,  discharging 
a  farewell  shot  as  they  went,  until  only  six  or  eight  were  left. 

The  few  remaining  pursuers  were  all  well  mounted,  and  rode 
on  as  if  they  enjoyed  the  chase.  They  were  too  far  in  the  rear 
to  fire  with  any  certainty  of  hitting  the  mark,  and  not  wishing 
to  cause  further  delay  by  stopping  to  load,  held  their  fire  until 
some  better  opportunity  should  offer.  It  was  as  exciting  a  race 


390  A  Dangerous  Mission. 

as  the  patrons  of  the  turf  ever  witnessed;  now  they  rode  neck 
and  neck  ;  now  one  gained  on  the  others — one  length,  two,  half- 
a-dozen,  only  to  be  in  turn  distanced.  Far  before  them  was  the 
prize — they  knew  not  what;  but  the  pleasure  of  the  chase  was 
sufficient  to  recompense  them  if  it  proved  valueless,  and  mean 
while  they  escaped  the  necessity  of  marching  soberly  along  with 
the  column. 

The  tired  horse  in  the  van  seemed  to  understand  the  necessity 
of  making  the  best  possible  time,  and  put  forth  his  utmost  speed. 
There  was  no  time  for  choice  of  roads  ;  the  Federal  lines  must 
be  reached  as  soon  as  possible  ;  the  only  guide  which  the  rider 
has  is  the  sun  overhead  ;  he  must  keep  in  the  direction  whence 
that  is  coming,  turning  a  little  to  the  north.  His  haste  led  him 
into  a  thicket  which  proved  nearly  impassable  for  his  horse;  and 
while  he  was  endeavoring  to  disentangle  himself  from  this  diffi 
culty,  his  foremost  pursuer  gained  rapidly  upon  him.  Only 
twenty  paces  separate  them  as  the  Confederate,  rising  in  his  stir 
rups  and  bending  forward,  fires  ;  but  the  shot  misses  him,  as  the 
others  have  done;  and  having  now  passed  the  obstructed  part 
of  the  road,  he  flies  onward,  consoling  himself  with  the  reflec 
tion  that  his  pursuers  will  be  delayed  as  long  as  he  has  been. 

Regardless  of  everything  but  the  necessity  of  putting  as  great 
a  distance  as  possible  between  himself  and  the  Southerners,  he 
dashes  on  at  his  utmost  speed,  only  to  find  himself,  in  a  few  mo 
ments,  floundering  in  a  mud-hole  in  the  midst  of  the  road.  It 
seemed  that  the  rain  which  had  sheltered  him  from  observation 
during  his  night's  ride  was  to  lead  to  his  capture  in  daytime. 
He  was  still  laboring  under  this  difficulty,  unable  to  proceed  at 
any  other  pace  than  a  walk,  when  the  Confederates,  extricating 
themselves  from  the  thicket  through  which  he  had  led  them, 
came  dashing  onward,  uttering  that  shrill  cry  familiarly  known 
as  the  "Rebel  yell."  Onward,  onward,  closer  and  closer,  until 
they  judge  it  a  certain  aim  ;  then  the  pistol  shots  ring  out.  But 
he  again  escapes  unscathed,  and  once  more,  being  safely  over  the 
deepest  mud,  rides  up  the  slope,  which  is  comparatively  dry. 

His  chances  grew  better  and  better  as  time  went  on,  for  only 
four  of  the  cavalrymen  had  continued  the  chase  so  far.  The 
odds  now  were  still  great,  but  not  so  overwhelming  as  at  first. 
Trusting  to  escape  by  sheer  fleetness,  he  urged  his  horse  to 
greater  and  greater  speed,  and  for  nine  miles  allowed  no  slack 
ening.  But  he  was  sensible  that  he  was  fast  approaching  the 


A  Dangerous  Mission. 


391 


limit  of  equine  endurance;  the  dark  coat  of  his  horse  was  shin 
ing  with  perspiration,  and  flecked  with  foam.  It  was  impossi 
ble,  then,  for  him  to  get  away  from  them  but  by  stratagem.  His 
thoughts  were  busy  as  he  rode  on,  laying  a  plan  by  which  to 
elude  them. 

His  scheme  perfected  in  his  own  mind,  he  soon  found  a  place 
to  put  it  in  execution.  Making  one  last,  desperate  effort,  he 
reached  the  brow  of  a  small  hill  far  in  advance  of  the  others,  and 


A  Shot  from  the  Thicket. 

arrived  at  the  foot  before  they  gained  the  summit.  Hastily  dis 
mounting,  he  concealed  himself  and  his  horse  in  a  dense  thicket 
near  the  road. 

He  hud  hardly  time  to  do  so,  before  the  foremost  pursuer  had 
gained  the  top  of  the  hill.  Suspecting  no  stratagem,  the  Confed 
erate  dashed  onward  at  his  former  speed,  closely  followed  by 
his  comrades.  Down  the  slope  of  the  hill,  past  the  group  of 
young  pines  where  the  object  of  the  chase  was  hidden,  and  out 
of  sight.  But  he  was  not  yet  safe.  A  turn  in  the  road,  a  swell 
of  the  ground,  might  have  hidden  him  from  their  eyes  for  a  few 
moments,  but  he  must  soon  come  in  sight.  They  reached  the 


392  A  Dangerous  Mission. 

top  of  the  hill  beyond  the  hollow  where  he  was  concealed;  thoio 
was  a  long  stretch  of  level  road  from  its  foot,  straight  as  if 
drawn  by  a  ruler ;  on  either  side  there  was  a  grassy  margin, 
brown  with  the  approach  of  winter;  the  remains  of  a  snake 
fence,  separated  the  fields  from  the  common  road,  except  where 
long  stretches  of  it  had  furnished  material  for  camp  fires;  but 
saving  the  bushes  that  grew  in  the  place  of  the  fence,  there  was 
no  sort  of  shelter  for  the  fugitive,  who  could  not  have  gained  so 
much  time  as  to  be  out  of  sight. 

Three  of  the  pursuers,  not  stopping  to  consider  these  facts, 
perhaps  forgetful  of  everything  but  the  temporary  freedom  from 
military  restraint,  dashed  onward;  the  fourth,  more  cautious, 
saw  that  there  was  no  use  in  seeking  their  chase  before  them; 
he  must  be  behind  them.  Wheeling  his  horse,  then,  the  Con- 
fede,rate  rode  slowly  back,  carefully  examining  every  place  that 
seemed  at  all  promising. 

Perplexed  by  the  mysterious  disappearance,  he  had  searched 
so  many  coverts  unsuccessfully  that  he  was  about  to  give  it  up 
in  disgust.  Just  as  he  seemed  most  inclined  to  do  so,  however, 
a  slight  movement  in  a  thicket  about  thirty  yards  off  attracted 
his  attention. 

"  There's  a  horse,  there,  sure  as  you're  born,"  he  muttered  to 
himself;  though  he  was  a  fool  to  hide  so  near  the  road,  and" — 

His  hand  dropped  towards  his  carbine,  when  whistling  through 
the  boughs  came  a  pistol-shot.  His  horse  reared  and  plunged 
forward;  the  rider  swayed  a  moment  in  his  saddle,  and  then  fell 
heavily  to  the  ground. 

Dropping  his  pistol  to  his  side,  Col.  Baker  sprang  into  his 
saddle.  With  evident  effort  the  wounded  man  raised  himself 
trying  again  to  get  his  carbine  into  position,  but  sank  again  to 
the  ground  as  a  second  bullet  struck  him.  Of  course  his  com 
panions  would  return,  on  hearing  the  shots,  to  learn  their  mean 
ing;  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost.  Dashing  off  at  right  angles  to 
the  road,  Col.  Baker  endeavored  to  mislead  his  enemies ;  but  they 
came  back  in  less  time  than  he  had  anticipated,  and  seeing  him, 
again  gave  chase.  The  excitement  of  the  race  grew  greater  and 
greater.  Despite  the  rest  in  the  pine  thicket,  ho  feared  that  it 
would  be  simply  a  question  of  endurance,  and  his  horse  was  nearly 
exhausted.  Even  now  they  were  within  range,  as  the  bullet  which 
whistled  by  him  attested  ;  even  now,  glancing  back  at  them,  he 
could  see  the  grim  determination  in  their  faces  and  bearing. 


394 


A  Dangerous  Mission, 


A  Dangerous  Mission.  395 

They  had  seen  their  companion  slain  by  his  hand;  they  would 
take  him,  dead  or  alive. 

Every  minute  was  valuable  ;  every  minute  brought  him  near 
er  to  safety ;  safety,  not  for  himself  only,  but  for  the  dispatches 
of  which  he  was  the  bearer.  At  last  that  famous  stream,  which 
had  seen  and  given  name  to  two  battles,  Bull  Eun,  was  seen  in 
the  distance.  The  farther  side,  he  knew,  was  the  Federal  pick 
et  line.  Could  he  reach  it  ?  It  was  extremely  doubtful,  for  the 
banks  rose  to  some  height  above  the  little  river,  and  while  cross 
ing  it  he  would  be  exposed  to  the  bullets  of  the  three  Confederates. 

"  One  more  effort,  good  horse,  and  you  can  rest." 

Obediently  to  his  urging,  the  horse  dashed  onward  more  wild 
ly  than  ever.  Eapidly  he  gained  upon  them — can  he  reach  the 
farther  side  before  they  reach  this  ?  The  stream  is  gained;  he 
plunges  into  the  current;  it  is  not  far  to  swim,  for  the  river  is 
but  eight  or  ten  yards  wide.  Despite  the  swiftness  of  the  current, 
the  distance  is  soon  accomplished,  and  horse  and  rider  are  on  the 
level  bank.  But  above  this  rises  the  hill  on  which  the  pickets 
are  placed;  its  side  is  almost  perpendicular,  from  the  narrow 
strip  of  flat  ground  to  the  summit.  Yet  the  top  must  be  gained, 
and  that  before  the  pursuers  have  emerged  from  the  woods  just 
the  other  side  of  Bull  Eun. 

The  danger  increases  as  time  goes  on,  and  the  horse  has  made 
but  ineffectual  efforts  to  scale  the  height.  He  can  hear  the 
shouts  of  his  pursuers  as  they  encourage  each  other  and  urge 
their  steeds  onward.  Nearer  and  nearer  they  come. 

"  Try  it  again,  old  boy;  try  it  just  once  more/'  he  said  to  the 
noble  animal  that  he  bestrode,  as  he  patted  its  neck  encourag 
ingly.  Thus  incited,  the  horse,  with  one  desperate  spring,  gain 
ed  the  top  of  the  bank,  and  planted  his  feet  firmly  on  the  turf. 
A  shot  whistled  over  the  waters,  and  buried  itself  in  the  earth 
beneath  them.  They  were  safe  at  last,  but  not  a  moment  too 
soon. 

"What's  the  matter?"  cried  the  pickets,  running  forward; 
while  the  officer  in  command  more  decorously  demanded  an  ex 
planation. 

"  I  have  dispatches  to  the  Secretary  of  War  from  Gen.  Banks, 
and  have  been  chased  by  the  Eebels." 

Glancing  at  the  stream,  they  saw  a  horse  and  rider  struggling 
in  the  current,  in  a  vain  endeavor  to  reach  the  shore;  instantly 
four  or  five  carbines  were  raised,  there  was  one  report,  and  the 


396  A  Dangerous  Mission. 

bullets  wero  speeding  towards  the  horseman.  His  struggles 
ceased;  and  horse  and  rider  were  borne  onward  by  the  swift 
current,  leaving  behind  them  a  trail  of  blood. 

His  companions  reached  the  edge  of  the  wood  just  in  time  to 
see  the  scene  as  we  have  described  it;  the  dead  Confederate  in 
the  water,  the  group  of  soldiers  in  blue  uniforms  on  the  opposite 
bluff;  and  deeming,  in  such  circumstances,  that  discretion  was 
the  better  part  of  valor,  wheeled  and  disappeared  in  the  woods. 

Mounting  his  horse  once  more,  Col.  Baker  rode  towards 
Washington  at  a  somewhat  more  leisurely  pace  than  that  lately 
used,  which  might  have  been  termed  breakneck  speed.  Arriv 
ing  there  at  3  P.  M.,  he  delivered  the  dispatches,  having  been  in 
the  saddle  twenty-one  hours,  during  which  time  he  had  accom 
plished  a  distance  of  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  twenty-four 
miles.  Utterly  prostrated  by  the  long  journey,  rider  and  horse 
required  a  long  period  of  rest  and  careful  treatment. 


A  BREAK  FOR  LIBERTY. 

I"b6  Old  Prison— Efforts  to  Escape— Col.  Rose's  Tunnel— A  False  Alarm— Hor 
rors  of  the  "Dead  Cellar" — Capt.  Moran  Finds  the  Passage — The  Entrance  to 
the  Tunnel — Comrades — Into  the  Upper  Air  Again — Out  of  the  City — Pur 
sued — Separation — The  Swamp — Surrounded — A  Dash  for  Liberty — Into  the 
Enemy's  Arms — Back  to  Libby. 

OK  one  of  the  back  streets  of  the  city  of  Kichmond,  Ya., 
there  stands  a  huge,  time-worn  brick  building,  originally 
intended  for  a  tobacco  warehouse,  and  fulfilling  that  purpose  for 
a  number  of  years;  now  used  as  a  fertilizing  manufactory.  Not 
a  promising  structure  for  the  pen  of  historian  or  novelist,  you 
will  say;  but  there  is  another  part  to  its  history;  and  if  those 
old  brick  walls  had  tongues  as  well  as  ears,  what  stories  they 
could  teH  !  Even  as  it  is,  they  bear  mute  testimony  that  they 
are  not  like  others  of  their  kind.  In  this  contracted  space  about 
the  building,  the  stones  are  worn  by  the  feet  of  sleepless  senti 
nels  pacing  to  and  fro,  keeping  guard  over  the  men  who  peered 
wistfully  from  the  windows  above,  whence  the  iron  bars  have 
never  been  removed.  Beneath  that  frowning  portal  passed 
many  a  man  in  the  full  pride  of  health  and  youth  ;  the  doors 
clanged  shut,  the  key  turned  grating  in  the  lock,  the  bolts 
were  drawn  ;  and  he  never  again  beheld  the  unobstructed  light 
of  day. 

Men  have  passed  days,  months,  even  years,  here,  with  nothing 
to  do  but  to  wait.  Dream  after  dream  of  home  has  mocked 
both  sleeping  and  waking  hours,  till  hope  of  either  peace  or  ex 
change  has  seemed  a  delusive  and  perpetual  mirage.  How 
weary  a  task  it  was,  no  tongue,  not  even  their  own,  could  tell. 
Look  at  t^e  floor  from  which  that  heap  of  fertilizer  has  been  but 

397 


398  A  Break  for  Liberty. 

this  moment  removed  ;  there  is  a  slight  memento  of  those  long 
days — a  checkerboard  drawn  with  ink  upon  the  wood;  but  the 
buttons  and  beans  with  which  they  played  have  vanished,  like 
that  dreadful  time,  twenty  years  ago. 

Nor  was  theirs  a  passive  endurance  of  their  fate;  many  of 
them  escaped;  from  that  window  half  a  dozen  of  them  swung 
to  the  ground,  and,  with  the  guard,  who  had  aided  them,  suc 
ceeded  in  reaching  their  friends.  Even  that  simple  iron  ring  in 
the  ceiling  has  its  story  ;  for  when  another  party  resolved  upon 
a  similar  effort,  and  found  they  had  been  betrayed  to  the  guards 
by  one  of  their  own  comrades,  it  was  to  this  ring  that  the  baffled 
and  infuriated  men  hanged  the  traitor.  Many  a  story  could  the 
grim  walls  tell,  of  hope,  and  patience,  and  despair;  for  this  was 
Libby  Prison. 

It  is  not  our  purpose  to  enter  into  a  minute  description  of  prison 
life  at  any  of  the  places  used  for  the  purpose  of  securing  their 
prisoners  of  war  by  the  military  authorities,  Federal  or  Confed 
erate,  during  the  "  late  onpleasantncss."  For  while,  in  either 
case,  the  picture  would  to  some  appear  grossly  overdrawn,  to 
others  it  would  seem  that  only  the  rudest  outline  had  been 
sketched.  We  prefer,  then,  to  leave  such  subjects  to  the  pens  of 
those  who  wish  to  write  about  them,  and  confine  ourselves  to 
the  indisputable  fact  that,  however  perfect  places  of  residence 
the  various  military  prisons  may  have  been,  those  confined  in 
them  were  always  anxious  to  escape  whenever  opportunity 
offered. 

In  the  basement  of  the  building  there  may  still  be  seen  traces 
of  the  tunnel  by  which  sixty-one  prisoners  on  one  night  regained 
freedom;  and  it  is  of  an  episode  of  this,  one  of  the  most  notable 
and  extensive  escapades  of  the  whole  war,  that  we  will  now  give 
the  particulars. 

After  many  fruitless  attempts  by  the  prisoners  to  excavate  a 
tunnel,  through  which  to  effect  their  escape,  a  working  party  of 
fourteen,  who  were  to  relieve  each  other  regularly,  was  organ 
ized  under  Col.  Eose.  Having  lifted  the  bottom  of  the  fireplace 
in  the  cook  room  and  removed  the  bricks  from  the  back  of  the 
flue,  they  penetrated  between  the  floor  joists  under  the  end  room, 
used  as  a  hospital,  into  the  cellar.  An  opening  about  two  feet  by 
eighteen  inches  was  commenced  in  the  wall  near  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  cellar.  With  no  tools  but  their  pocket  knives,  they 
cut  through  the  piles  on  which  the  building  was  supported. 


400 


A  Break  for  Liberty. 


A  Break  for  Liberty.  401 

Having  penetrated  into  the  earth,  they  experienced  great  diffi 
culty  from  their  candles,  which  would  not  burn  for  want  of  air 
in  the  tunnel,  compelling  one  of  the  party  to  stand  at  the  open 
ing  and  fan  with  his  hat.  The  tunnel  slanted  downward  for  a 
distance  of  about  twelve  feet,  then  upward  for  about  the  same 
distance,  and  was  nearly  level  the  remaining  distance.  It  was  so 
narrow  in  some  places  that  to  pass  through  it  was  necessary  to 
lie  flat  on  one's  face  and  be  propelled  by  the  hands  and  'feet.  A 
slight  error  was  made  in  the  computation  of  the  distance,  and 
thinking  they  had  reached  the  inclosure,  they  dug  up  to  the  sur 
face;  but  soon  discovered  that  they  had  come  out  in  the  street, 
within  but  a  few  yards  of  the  sentinels.  Quickly  filling  up  the 
hole  with  a  pair  of  old  pants  and  some  straw,  they  continued  their 
digging  a  few  feet  further  to  the  desired  spot  under  a  shed  in  the 
yard  of  the  warehouse.  They  then  dug  to  the  surface  and  drew 
an  empty  hogshead  over  the  opening  to  conceal  it  in  the  day 
time.  The  only  implements  used  in  this  arduous  work  were  a 
large  chisel  and  a  wooden  spit-box  from  one  of  the  rooms  above, 
to  convey  earth  in  ;  cords  were  attached  to  this  box  by  which  it 
was  drawn  out  by  the  assistants  when  filled  ;  the  earth  and  gravel 
were  then  carefully  concealed  under  some  straw  and  rubbish. 
It  was  the  night  of  Feb.  8th,  1864,  that  the  tunnel  was  completed. 
The  men  crawled  into  it,  and  many  had  emerged  at  the  other 
end,  when  the  alarm  was  given  that  the  guards  were  coming. 
Hastily,  the  hundreds  who  had  crowded  about  the  mouth  of  the 
tunnel  rushed  back  to  their  cells,  there  to  assume  such  an  air  of 
innocence  as  would  prevent  their  being  punished  for  complicity 
in  the  escape  of  their  comrades.  Sixty-one  had  entered  the  long, 
dark  passage,  and  finally  worked  their  way  to  liberty;  many  of 
them  being  sheltered  close  by  the  city,  by  a  lady  whose  loyalty 
to  the  Confederacy  had  never  been  questioned;  hidden  in  her 
house  and  grounds  until  it  was  safe  for  them  to  continue  their 
flight. 

But  the  cry  of  "  guards"  was  a  false  alarm,  and  before  long 
several  of  those  who  had  been  so  hastily  scattered  had  again 
bent  their  steps  towards  the  tunnel.  Among  those  who  had  not 
reached  this  point  at  the  time  that  the  stampede  took  place  was 
Captain  Frank  E.  Moran,  of  the  73rd  New  York.  The  news  of 
the  completion  of  the  tunnel,  once  divulged  to  any  of  those  who 
had  not  been  directly  concerned  in  it,  had  spread  like  wildfire, 
and  when  the  alarm  was  given  it  had  found  men  at  various  dis- 


402 


A  Break  fur  Liberty. 


tances  from  the  same  goal.  The  tidings,  with  a  few  brief  direc 
tions  how  to  proceed,  had  but  just  reached  Capt.  Moran  when  the 
hasty  retreat  commenced.  He,  then,  had  really  lost  but  little 
time,  and  as  soon  as  all  was  again  quiet  he  proceeded  on  his  way. 
The  first  point  to  be  made  was  the  fireplace.  Beyond  the 
jagged  edge  of  the  opening  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  but 
darkness — rayless,  impenetrable,  slimy  to  the  touch  as  the  skin 
of  a  snake.  But  he  was  not  a  man  to  fear  darkness,  or  the  Pow 
ers  of  Darkness,  when  escape  from  prison  was  to  be  accomplish- 


LIBBV  PRISSJT 


HOSPITAL 


SECTION 


IMPLEMENTS 


Diagram  of  Tunnel. 

ed,  and  without  a  moment's  hesitation  he  squeezed  himself 
through  the  aperture.  Once  past  the  portion  that  could  be 
seen  from  the  room,  he  found  himself  in  a  slightly  larger  pas 
sage,  which  slanted  downward  from  the  back  of  the  fireplace, 
through  the  chimney  to  the  cellar. 

He  arrived  at  the  end  of  the  incline,  and  found,  at  first,  no 
thing — absolutely  nothing  but  the  thick  darkness.  After  a 
moment's  groping  for  something  which  would  enable  him  to 
continue  the  descent — for  he  was  fast  losing  his  hold  on  the 
slight  projections  of  rock  in  the  passage — he  grasped  a  strip  of 
one  of  the  rough  army  blankets.  That,  he  knew,  was  the  means 
of  farther  descent;  and  soon  his  whole  weight  hung  on  it.  As 
his  arms  stretched  upward,  his  shoulders,  which  he  had  severely 
bruised  in  squeezing  into  the  narrow  opening  of  the  fireplace, 


A  Break  for  Liberty.  403 

gave  him  exquisite  pain  ;  but,  disregarding  this,  he  let  himself 
cautiously  down  to  the  end  of  the  blanket  rope,  and  stretched 
his  feet  downward  to  feel  for  the  floor. 

But  though  he  held  to  the  very  end  of  the  rope  and  stretched 
every  muscle  in  the  effort  to  touch  the  ground,*  it  was  still  be 
neath  his  reach.  A  moment  he  hung  there,  uncertain  how  far 
he  must  fall,  or  on  what  kind  of  a  surface;  dreading  lest  he 
should  come  down  with  a  noise  that  would  alarm  the  guard; 
sure  of  nothing  but  that  he  could  not  go  back,  and  could  not 
long  hang  there.  It  was  but  a  moment,  and  yet  many  thoughts 
passed  through  his  brain — to  fall  and  dislocate  his  ankle  or 
break  his  leg,  as  he  might  do;  to  lie  there,  helpless  and  alone, 
in  the  darkness  and  dampness  of  that  fetid  cellar;  to  die  there 
of  hunger  and  thirst,  and  to  be  lost  forever  from  the  records  of 
mankind — !  Still,  having  come  this  far,  there  was  nothing  to 
do  but  to  drop,  and  drop  he  did. 

Everything  had  been  carefully  arranged  by  the  daring  spirits 
that  had  planned  the  escape;  and  although  the  blanket  rope 
was  so  short  that  a  man,  holding  to  the  end  of  it,  could  not  touch 
the  floor,  the  latter  had  been  thickly  strewn  with  straw.  Capt. 
Moran's  melancholy  anticipations,  then,  were  quickly  dispelled 
as  he  alighted  on  the  soft  bed  that  broke  his  fall.  Yet  so  great 
was  the  height  from  which  he  had  dropped,  that  he  rolled  over 
and  over,  still  upon  the  straw,  before  he  could  regain  his  feet. 
As  he  fell,  he  became  acquainted  with  the  fact  that  the  cellar 
was  not  uninhabited.  A  hundred  rats,  it  seemed,  ran  squealing 
from  him;  and,  as  he  rolled  over,  it  appeared  as  if  the  cellar  was 
literally  alive  with  them.  As  he  rose,  they  scampered  about 
him;  and  he  could  hardly  set  his  foot  down  without  causing  a 
commotion  among  them. 

!^hic,  of  course,  was  a  small  affair  ;  but  as  it  flashed  across  his 
mind  that  this  was  the  "  dead  cellar"  to  which  the  bodies  of 
those  who  died  in  the  hospital  directly  over  it  were  removed  to 
await  the  rude  burial,  a  feeling  of  unutterable  loathing  took  pos 
session  of  him.  How  many  times  had  these  vermin  climbed  over 
the  coffins  of  liis  comrades,  how  many  times  had  they  with  filthy, 
ghoulish  instinct,  striven  to  get  at  the  horrible  feast  within  the 
rough  pino  box? 

He  had  been  told  that  the  opening  to  the  tunnel  wap  in  the  wall 
of  this  cellnr,  and  now  groped   his  way  along  until  his  hands 
came  in  contact  with  the  masonry  dripping  as  if  with  blood.   The 
26 


404 


A  Break  for  Liberty. 


eye,  after  a  time,  becomes  accustomed  to  any  ordinary  obscurity, 
and  we  are  able  to  discern  objects  with  some  degree  of  distinct 
ness.  But  so  intense,  so  perfect  was  this  darkness,  that  the  eye 
seemed  to  have  lost  the  sense  of  sight;  no  length  of  time  spent 
in  it  could  dilate  the  pupil  enough  for  it  to  receive  a  single  ray 
of  light.  The  soldier  could  only  feel  his  way  along  the  slimy 
wall,  the  very  touch  of  which  was  enough  to  send  a  shudder 
through  the  stoutest  frame. 

In  this  way  he  reached  the  corner  of  the  room,  and  feeling 
sure  that  he  must  have  missed  the  entrance  to  the  tunnel,  paused 


•  • 


In  the  Dead  Cellar. 

a  moment  to  listen,  for  he  thought  he  might  hear  some  signal 
from  his  comrades.  Not  a  sound  but  the  squealing  of  the  rats 
and  the  rustling  which  they  made  in  scampering  over  the 
straw.  He  felt  his  way  back,  stopping  at  every  step,  lest  he 
might  mis^s  some  faint  call.  The  thoughts  that  had  come  before 
were  but  the  excited  dreams  of  an  organization  almost  worn 
out  by  close  confinement  and  poor  diet,  and  suddenly  roused 
by  the  hope  of  escape ;  but  his  thoughts  now  were  from  a  deeper 
source — the  workings  of  a  mind  accustomed  to  recover  its  bal 
ance  easily.  Yet  they  were  far  more  terrible  than  any  of  the 
nervous  shudderings.  Suppose  he  should  not  find  the  entrance  to 
the  passage-way.  He  must  remain  here,  for  there  was  no  possibil- 


A  Break  for  Liberty.  405 

ity  of  retreat ;  he  could  not  reach  the  rope,  even  if  he  could  find 
the  point  in  the  floor  exactly  beneath  it.  Perhaps  a  numbness 
would  creep  over  him,  and,  while  still  conscious  of  the  horror  of 
his  fate,  he  would  be  unable  to  resist  the  thousands  of  vermin 
whose  sharp  teeth  would  tear  the  quivering  flesh  from  his  bones. 
But,  whether  a  living  man  or  a  bleaching  skeleton,  he  would  in 
evitably  be  discovered  when  the  corpse  of  the  next  victim  of  life 
in  Libby  should  be  borne  thither  to  await  its  burial;  and  that 
meant  the  discovery  of  the  tunnel,  the  passage  to  freedom,  for 
which  his  companions  had  worked  so  long,  and  which  would  be 
used  by  so  many  if  not  detected  by  the  guards. 

Should  he  be  the  cause  of  its  detection?  Surely,  if  he  were, 
the  blood  of  all  who  died  in  that  loathsome  place  would  be  upon 
his  head;  and  mothers  and  wives  in  their  far  Northern  homes 
would  execrate  the  wretch  whose  blunders  had  prevented  the 
escape  of  their  beloved  ones  from  Libby.  The  thought  of  such 
a  fate  as  he  had  first  conjured  up  had  chilled  the  very  blood  in 
his  veins,  brave  soldier  as  he  was ;  but  now  this  idea  sent  it  cours 
ing  back  like  fire  to  all  parts  of  his  body,  inciting  him  to  yet  an 
other  effort  to  find  the  mouth  of  the  tunnel. 

Hours  after  hours  passed  away  and  he  trod  a  limitless  dun 
geon,  whose  wall,  dripping  and  slimy,  extended  in  one  unbroken 
stretch  for  miles.  His  limbs  grew  weaker  with  the  long  jour 
ney,  while  the  shrill  treble  of  the  harpies  about  him  grew  sharp 
er  and  more  triumphant.  At  last  his  hand  came  to  a  break  in 
the  wall,  and  he  awoke  from  his  horrible  dream,  awoke  to  know 
that  he  had  walked  but  a  few  feet  from  the  corner,  and  that  it 
was  scarcely  ten  minutes  since  he  had  loosed  his  hold  on  the 
blanket-rope. 

He  stooped  and  put  his  hand  towards  the  aperture  ;  it  came  in 
contact  with  a  pair  of  heels,  which  were  suddenly  drawn  away  at 
his  touch. 

"  Who's  there?"  asked  a  low  voice,  which  came  from  the  tun 
nel  as  deep  and  hollow  as  if  from  a  grave. 

"Moran,  of  the  Gettysburg  room.     Who  are  you?" 

"  Morgan,  from  the  Chickamauga  room.  Are  the  Rebs  com- 
ing?" 

"No.     Go  ahead,  so  there'll  be  room  for  me." 

Morgan  scrambled  on,  sending  a  shower  of  dirt  into  Moran's 
eyes,  and  was  closely  followed  by  the  new  comer.  The  passage 
through  which  they  were  making  their  way  was  about  two  feet 


406  A  Break  for  Liberty. 

in  diameter,  on  an  average,  and  was  extremely  irregular  in  its 
course.  Now  ascending,  now  descending,  they  crawled  on  along 
the  cold  and  clammy  sides  of  the  tunnel,  through  air  that  was  so 
heavy  and  foul  as  to  almost  suffocate  them. 

"  O-oh  !"  groaned  Morgan. 

"What's  the  matter?" 

"  Oh,  my  leg's  cramped  fearfully.   I'll  have  to  stop  a  minute." 

"  Try  to  crawl  on   can't  you?   We'll  smother  if  we  stay  here." 

"I  cant— o-oh!" 

"  Will  it  help  you  to  take  your  shoe  off?" 

"  Maybe  so,  but  I  can't  get  at  it — o-oh  !" 

"Which  leg  is  it?" 

"The  left." 

"All  right;  I'll  take  the  shoe  off." 

"  Bring  it  along,  though ;  I  can't  afford  to  lose  it." 

This,  of  course,  only  added  to  Moran's  difficulties;  though,  in 
saying  so,  we  have  no  wish  to  insinuate  anything  in  regard  to 
the  size  of  Capt.  Morgan's  foot;  under  such  circumstances,  the 
slightest  thing  was  a  drawback  ;  and  Moran,  with  his  bruised 
shoulder,  had  much  difficulty  in  working  his  way  along  what 
seemed  to  be  an  endless  passage.  The  entrance  and  exit  of  the 
tunnel  were  about  seventy  feet  apart;  but  as  it  had  been  neces 
sary  to  change  the  level  quite  frequently,  they  really  had  to  crawl 
a  much  greater  distance. 

At  last,  a  ray  of  light,  just  bright  enough  to  make  the  darkness 
yet  more  visible,  diffused  itself  about  them,  and,  as  they  crawled 
slowly  on,  it  grew  stronger  and  stronger.  They  were  nearing 
the  end  of  the  tunnel.  At  last  they  had  reached  it.  Morgan  clam* 
bered  out,  and  extended  his  hand  to  his  companion;  who,  thus 
assisted,  was  soon  once  more  in  the  open  air.  Words  cannot  tell 
the  relief  they  felt  on  emerging  from  the  stifling  atmosphere 
and  pitchy  darkness  of  the  tunnel,  and  again  drew  deep  breaths 
of  pure  air.  What  had  seemed  such  bright  light  when  seen 
from  the  underground  passage-way  was  now  perceived  to  bo 
nothing  but  the  faint  gleam  of  the  stars,  and  the  uncertain  flick 
ering  of  the  lamps  of  the  city  and  the  prison.  It  was  enough, 
however,  to  serve  their  purpose,  and  more  would  have  been  dan^ 
gerous. 

They  were  about  seventy  feet  from  the  east  wall  of  the  prison, 
in  a  yard  between  two  large  buildings,  one  on  the  northern,  one 
on  the  southern  side.  In  the  prison  yard  they  could  see  the  sen- 


A  Break  for  Liberty.  407 

tinels  pacing  to  and  fro,  and  even,  as  they  passed  under  the 
flaring  lamps,  distinguish  their  features.  But  there  was  no  time 
to  watch  the  guards.  Moran  looked  suspiciously  at  a  third  man 
in  this  inclosure,  but  his  doubts  were  dispelled  when  Morgan  in 
troduced  the  stranger  as  Lieut.  Watson,  of  his  own  company  and 
regiment,  the  Twenty-first  Wisconsin.  The  three  drew  together 
into  the  shelter  of  a  shadow,  and  held  a  whispered  consultation 
as  to  what  was  to  be  done  next. 

The  space  in  which  they  stood  was  inclosed  on  three  sides, 
opening  on  the  fourth  to  the  street.  The  prison  was  on  the  west, 
the  two  other  buildings  on  the  north  and  south  ;  they  could  only 
proceed,  then,  in  an  easterly  direction.  After  a  few  moments' 
counsel  together,  the  three  Federals  removed  their  shoes,  in 
order  that  they  might  walk  with  less  noise,  and,  if  pursued,  run 
faster.  In  accordance  with  their  plans,  Lieut.  Watson  was  the 
first  to  emerge  from  the  deep  shadow  in  which  they  stood  ;  and 
as  he  walked  down  the  street  he  was  followed,  at  an  interval  of 
about  two  minutes,  by  Morgan.  Moran,  standing  in  the  shadow, 
watched  the  guards  and  the  retreating  forms  of  his  comrades 
alternately.  Once  the  two  Confederates  drew  together,  and,  to 
the  anxious  eyes  of  the  solitary  Federal,  seemed  to  have  seen 
the  two  men  walking  down  the  street;  but  it  was  a  false  alarm, 
for  they  separated  in  a  moment,  and  each  went  back  to  his  own 
proper  place. 

At  last  Morgan  had  had  the  start  upon  which  they  had  agreed, 
and  Moran  followed  as  swiftly  and  noiselessly  as  the  others  had 
gone.  The  rendezvous  was  at  the  second  corner,  and  from  this 
point  they  went  on  together  for  some  distance,  directing  their 
steps,  of  course,  towards  the  confines'of  the  city.  The  huge  grim 
warehouses  that  had  at  first  surrounded  them  had  been  left  far 
behind,  and  the  cottages  were  far  more  thinly  scattered  than  had 
been  the  houses  which  they  first  passed.  Gradually,  the  streets 
lost  the  air  of  frequent  use,  and  became  mere  country  roads. 
Thus  stealing  along,  from  shadow  to  shadow,  the  three  fugitives 
were  beyond  the  limits  of  the  Confederate  capital. 

It  was  nearly  the  end  of  the  long  winter  night;  indeed,  for 
many  men  it  was  already  the  end,  when  a  sound  of  fearful  sig 
nificance  was  heard — the  measured  tread  of  horses'  feet.  There 
was  a  moment's  hasty  consultation,  and  they  agreed  to  separate; 
to  conceal  themselves  until  after  the  pursuers  had  passed,  and 
then  to  follow  in  their  wake  towards  a  certain  densely  wooded 


408  A  Break  for  Liberty. 

swamp,  where  they  would  again  unite.  Hardly  had  this  been 
done  than  they  scattered,  in  accordance  with  the  agreement, 
each  man  to  find  a  hiding-place  for  himself. 

Everything  worked  well,  and  the  Confederates  soon  rode  by, 
little  dreaming  what  prey  was  within  a  few  steps  of  them.  Once 
they  were  out  of  sight,  the  Federals  crept  cautiously  out  from 
their  places  of  concealment  and  made  their  way,  by  three  differ 
ent  routes,  to  the  rendezvous  in  the  swamp.  It  was  by  this  time 
broad  day,  and  no  time  was  to  be  lost  in  gaining  the  friendly 
shelter  of  the  forest.  Moran  followed  directly  on  the  trail  of  the 
Confederates,  and  soon  came  to  the  border  of  a  field  whence  he 
could  command  a  view  to  the  north  full  half  a  mile  in  extent. 
The  Confederates,  whom  he  had  been  following  closely,  had  dis 
appeared,  leaving  no  trace  of  their  course.  There  was  no  place 
where  they  could  have  found  shelter,  except  a  small  farm  house, 
a  thousand  yards  away,  which  they  could  not  possibly  have 
reached  in  that  space  of  time. 

The  field  rose  like  an  island  out  of  the  densely  wooded  swamp 
through  a  portion  of  which  he  had  already  come,  and  much  of 
which  lay  beyond  the  patch  of  dry  ground.  What  could  have 
become  of  the  horsemen  whom  he  had  been  following?  They 
must  have  deployed  along  some  cross-road  whose  existence  was 
unknown  to  him,  in  order  to  surround  the  swamp,  and  thus 
effectually  prevent  the  escape  of  the  fugitives.  In  order  to  get 
away  by  the  route  that  they  would  least  suspect,  Capt.  Moran 
turned  and  ran  back  along  the  very  path  by  which  he  had  ad 
vanced;  hoping,  by  avoiding  the  swamp  altogether,  to  elude 
their  grasp. 

But  he  had  not  taken  a  dozen  steps,  when  he  found  that  his 
movements  were  watched  by  the  concealed  enemy.  A  long,  clear 
whistle  to  his  right  was  answered  by  a  similar  one  from  the 
opposite  side.  What  was  his  horror  to  see  that  his  two  com 
panions  had  mistaken  these  signals  of  the  enemy  for  his  own; 
and  now,  in  answer  to  them,  came  running  into  the  open  space 
from  the  woods  that  had  concealed  them  from  his  view  ! 

But  he  had  no  time  to  lament  that  others  had  run  into  danger; 
his  own  peril  was  too  pressing.  The  long,  clear  whistles  were 
repeated  all  around  him,  as  the  sound  of  a  bugle  is  sent  back  and 
forth  a  dozen  times  by  the  rocky  cliffs  that  line  the  valley.  He 
could  hear  the  crash  of  the  thick  underbrush  as  the  dismounted 
troopers  forced  their  way  through  it  as  soon  as  they  heard  the 


A  Break  for  Liberty.  409 

order  to  close  up.  He  stood  still  a  moment,  like  a  stag  at  bay, 
while  the  "dogs  of  war"  were  ready  to  spring  at  his  throat; 
then  bounded  off  toward  what  seemed  to  be  an  avenue  of  escape. 

No  sound  had  as  yet  been  heard  from  the  east,  the  direction  in 
which  lay  Richmond ;  and  that  was  the  way  by  which  he  hoped 
to  escape.  With  desperate  energy  he  summoned  all  his  powers 
of  speed,  and  dashed  along  towards  the  rising  sun.  The  treach 
erous  bog  gave  way  beneath  his  weight,  for  he  had  no  time  to 
pick  his  steps  or  hunt  a  path.  The  earth  clung  to  his  shoes,  and 
one  was  left  in  the  mire.  The  other  was  hastily  wrenched  from 
his  foot  and  cast  aside,  that  there  might  be  nothing  to  retard 
him.  At  last  his  way  crossed  a  cow-path,  trodden  hard  ;  and 
along  this  better  road  he  made  better  time.  One  of  the  huge 
forest  trees  had  been  felled  by  the  storms  of  that  winter,  and  lay 
directly  across  his  path  ;  upon  the  great  trunk  he  leaped,  then 
down  again  to  the  ground  on  the  other  side. 

His  shoeless  feet  had  fallen  silently  on  the  path  as  he  advanced; 
when  he  bounded  upon  the  tree,  then,  he  startled  the  very  Con 
federate  who  had  been  posted  behind  the  trunk  to  keep  a  look 
out  for  the  prisoners ;  the  Reb,  a  burly  giant,  jumped  up,  and, 
without  pausing  to  see  or  question  the  newcomer,  took  to  his 
heels,  leaving  his  carbine  leaning  against  the  tree.  The  Federal, 
nottaking  time  to  secure  the  weapon,  which,  indeed,  would  have 
only  been  an  incumbrance,  dashed  on.  The  gray-jacket  stum 
bled  and  fell  flat;  the  blue-coat  leaped  across  his  prostrate  body 
and  plunged  on,  only  to  find  three  carbines  presented  at  his 
breast,  and  to  hear  the  ominous  command  to  "  halt!"  in  his  ears. 

" Surrender!"  bellowed  the  fallen  hero,  as  he  picked  himself 
up.  But  the  three  who  had  stood  their  ground  greeted  him  with 
such  a  peal  of  mocking  laughter  that  he  retreated  almost  as  sud 
denly  as  he  had  come.  To  the  Federal,  however,  it  was  no  laugh 
ing  matter,  for  the  three  Confederates  were  sufficiently  in  earn 
est  to  secure  their  prisoner. 

The  party  now  drew  together,  andMoran  found  that  his  hopes 
of  the  escape  of  his  comrades  had  been  doomed  to  disappoint 
ment;  for  they  had  been  taken  while  he  was  making  the  last 
desperate  effort  to  regain  his  liberty.  They  could  do  nothing 
but  condole  with  each  other,  and  await  the  pleasure  of  their  cap 
tors.  As  these  were  soldiers,  and  not  prison  guards,  the  retaken 
prisoners  were  kindly  treated;  Moran's  shoes  were  hunted  up 
for  him,  and  all  three  were  fed  liberally  from  the  haversacks  of 


410  A  Break  for  Liberty. 

their  captors.  But  though  they  were  half  famished  by  the  un 
wonted  exertion,  and  the  keen  air  of  the  winter  morning  was 
enough  to  whet  the  hunger  of  any  others,  the  appetite  of  these 
were  dulled  by  the  thought  that  in  a  few  hours  more  they  would 
again  be  confined  within  the  walls  of  Libby  Prison. 

The  Confederates  informed  the  prisoners  that  they  had  hardly 
hoped  to  find  them  in  the  swamp  ;  and  that  a  start  of  one  hour 
more  would  probably  have  insured  their  escape,  as  they  were 
when  retaken,  outside  of  the  Confederate  lines,  and  almost  with 
in  sight  of  the  smoke  from  the  Federal  picket  fires.  But  all  this, 
of  course,  was  slight  consolation  to  the  poor  fellows  who  had 
tried  so  hard  to  escape. 


C 


HAPTER 


ADVENTURES  OF  AN  ARTFUL  DODGER. 

The  Scout's  Errand—  His  Force  —  Mode  of  Proceeding  —  A  Bivouac  in  the  Wood* 
—Salt  Mule  and  Sheet-iron  Crackers  —  A  Rude  Awakening  —  "  Let  Me  Dream 
Again  "  —  Not  So  Fast  Asleep  as  the  Enemy  Thought  —  Flight  —  Surrounded 

—  Concealed  —  Discovered  —  The  Difficulty  of  Riding  a  Mule—  Where  is  Het 

—  No  where  —  Safe. 

AMONG  the  scouts  attached  to  Gen.  "  Jeb"  Stuart's  division 
was  one  who  shall  be  known  to  these  pages  by  the  roman 
tic  and  uncommon  name  of  Smith.  Truth  to  tell,  authorities 
differ  much  in  regard  to  the  spelling  of  his  cognomen,  so  that 
the  initial  letter  is  the  only  one  that  appears  to  be  undisputed. 
Now,  the  directories  show  that  if  a  man's  name  begins  with  "S," 
the  probabilities  are  in  favor  of  Smith  against  any  other  one 
appellation;  then  the  scout  shall  be  known  to  these  pages  as 
Frank  Smith. 

But  think  not,  because  the  mere  form  of  his  name  has  not  been 
perpetuated,  that  it  does  not  deserve  to  be  remembered.  The 
estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  commanding  officer  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that,  although  he  steadily  refused  a  commis 
sion,  as  fct  partisan  officer,  lest  his  freedom  of  movement  might 
be  thereby  curtailed,  he  was  made  the  superior  of  a  party  of 
three,  sent  to  reconnoiter  the  Federal  camp  and  forces,  then  ly 
ing  around  Culpepper  Court  House  and  Mitchell's  Station.  Gen. 
Meade  had,  within  the  last  few  days,  thrown  forward  a  consider 
able  body  of  troops  to  the  latter  point,  and  the  duty  of  the 
scouts  was  mainly  to  find  out  the  character,  strength  and  destin 
ation  of  this  force. 

Leaving  their  horses  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  camp,  they 
made  their  way  cautiously  towards  the  Station,  and  by  carefully 
411 


412  Adventures  of  an  Artful  Dodger. 

working  around  under  shelter  of  every  cover  that  was  possibly 
available,  they  ascertained  as  much  as  a  mere  reconnoissance 
would  permit.  There  was  only  one  way  in  which  to  obtain 
more  information,  and  that  was  by  questioning  prisoners.  But 
in  order  to  do  this,  they  must  have  some  prisoners  to  question. 
All  three  were  skilled  in  their  calling,  and  had  often  been  on 
such  expeditions  before,  and  felt  not  the  slightest  doubt  of  their 
ability,  singly  or  together,  to  acquire  knowledge  by  this  means. 

However, 

"  The  best  laid  plans  of  mice  and  men 
Gang  aft  aglee." 

They  lurked  about  the  camp  until  night  drew  on;  until  all  the 
duties  of  the  day  were  done;  until  taps  had  sounded,  and  the 
soldiers,  save  those  whom  duty  kept  awake,  were  wrapped  in 
slumber;  but  still  there  was  no  chance  of  taking  a  prisoner. 

"  Heckon  we  might  as  well  bivouac,  boys,"  said  Smith,  as  they 
met  at  the  rendezvous  previously  appointed  ;  "  there  don't  seem 
to  be  much  chance  of  any  fun  yet  awhile." 

"  There  was  a  party  of  foragers  passed  within  ten  feet  of  me," 
sighed  one  of  his  companions,  "  but  there  were  too  many  of 
them." 

"How  many?"  asked  the  second. 

"  Seven,"  was  the  reply. 

"  'Tisn't  safe  to  tackle  more  than  you  can  easily  manage,"  ob 
served  Smith.  "At  this  little  distance  from  the  camp,  you  might 
have  to  shoot,  and  that  would  bring  out  a  company." 

"  Where  shall  we  bivouac  ?" 

"  Somewhere  in  the  woods,,  There's  a  right  good  place  just 
over  there  to  the  left;  suppose  we  go  there?" 

"All  right;  let's  hurry;  I'm  tired.  Is  it  a  well-sheltered  place? 
It  looks  mightily  like  rain." 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  its  right  in  a  sort  of  a  hollow,  with  the  brush  thick 
all  around  it." 

"  How  long  shall  we  wait,  Smith  ?" 

"  About  an  hour.  The  stragglers  will  be  getting  in  about  that 
time,  and  we'll  be  more  alert  if  we  have  a  rest.  Here's  the 
place  ;  how  do  you  like  it?" 

"  First-rate.     Don't  you  think  we  could  have  a  fire  ?" 

"  That  was  one  thing  that  made  me  think  of  coming  here ;  its 
so  far  away,  and  the  brush  is  so  thick  that  they'd  never  see  it  at 
the  camp,  even  if  it  wasn't  in  the  hollow.  We  can  keep  it  from 


Adventures  of  an  Artful  Dodger.  413 

blazing  too  much,  and  shall  be  mighty  comfortable,  all  things 
considered." 

The  keen  air  of  the  November  night  had  benumbed  their 
hands  and  chilled  their  limbs,  and  exercise  had,  of  course,  been 
impossible.  Over  the  shaded  blaze,  then,  they  spread  their 
cold  fingers,  even  before  they  turned  their  attention  to  what  the 
slang  of  the  time  termed  salt  mule  and  sheet-iron  crackers;  but 
which,  however  undervalued  in  times  of  peace  and  plenty,  men 
found  extremely  palatable  when  nothing  else  was  obtainable, 
and  even  these  articles  somewhat  scarce.  Our  scouts,  certainly, 
did  not  object  to  the  bill  of  fare,  nor  did  they  complain  because 
a  blanket  must  be  their  only  shelter  from  the  chilly  air,  the 
ground  their  only  bed.  Huddling  close  together  about  the  fire, 
they  were  soon  fast  asleep. 

The  hour  set  apart  for  rest  passed  away,  but,  worn  out  with 
the  day's  watching,  they  did  not  awake.  It  is  not  the  least  of 
the  scout's  hardships  that  there  is  a  constant  strain  on  the  nerv 
ous  system,  even  when  he  is  apparently  passively  watchful;  and 
for  this  reason,  he  is  apt,  when  once  he  gives  himself  up  to  slum 
ber,  to  sleep  more  soundly  than  a  man  engaged  in  manual  labor. 
Hour  after  hour  passed,  and  still  they  slept  on,  quietly  as  chil 
dren.  Not  even  the  drizzling  rain  which  began  to  fall  as  dawn 
approached  could  awaken  them  ;  had  it  been  a  harder  shower, 
the  discomfort  would  perhaps  have  roused  them,  but  it  was  just 
enough  to  soak  their  clothes  gradually. 

It  was  barely  daylight  when  a  squad  of  Federal  soldiers  ap 
proached  their  camp. 

*'  Hello!  What's  this?"  exclaimed  one  of  the  blue-coats  as  they 
came  in  sight  of  the  sleeping  party. 

"  'Sh  1"  cautioned  another,  "  Don't  waken  them  till  we  find 
out." 

They  drew  nearer  silently,  and  perceived  the  gray  uniforms. 
At  a  signal  from  the  sergeant,  every  musket  was  pointed  at 
Smith's  breast. 

"Hey,  Johnnie  Reb,"  he  called,  "  hadn't  you  better  wake  up 
and  get  in  out  of  the  wet  ?" 

At  the  first  sound  that  the  soldiers  had  made  in  cocking  their 
muskets,  Smith  had  wakened  ;  but  he  saw  no  chance  of  escape. 
Looking  through  his  half-closed  eyelids  he  perceived  that  any 
attempt  to  reach  his  pistols  would  mean  six  balls  in  his  breast; 
and  in  orderto  give  himself  more  time  to  think,  wrapped  himself 


414  Adventures  of  an  Artful  Dodger. 

closer  in  his  blanket,  and  turning  over  muttered  sleepily : 

"  O  go  'way  and  let  me  alone/' 

"  Pleasant  dreams,  Johnnie.  Maybe  you  won't  find  the  wake 
up  part  quite  as  pleasant." 

But  the  dreams  were  all  waking  ones,  and  in  the  brains  of  the 
Federals;  for  they  were  busily  imagining  his  chagrin  and  morti 
fication  when  he  should  find  himself  a  prisoner;  and  he,  though 
drawing  deep  and  regular  breaths  as  if  in  slumber,  was  cautious- 


A  Rude  Awakening. 

ly  moving  his  hand  down,  under  the  blanket,  to  the  pistol  at  his 
belt.  Slowly  he  drew  it  from  its  place,  and  silently  cocked  it, 
just  as  the  Federal  sergeant  said  : 

"Well,  Johnnie,  we've  had  our  fun  now,  and  I  guess  you'll 
have  to  get  up,  whether  you  like  it  or  not." 

He  stooped,  as  he  spoke,  and  grasping  a  corner  of  the  Confed 
erate's  blanket,  was  about  to  pull  it  from  him,  when  the  pistol 
was  discharged,  its  muzzle  touching  the  breast  of  his  blouse ;  and 
without  a  groan,  he  fell  forward  on  the  Confederate,  dead. 
Smith  struggled  to  free  himself  from  this  incumbrance,  but  be 
fore  he  could  regain  his  feet  the  five  muskets  were  discharged  at 
him.  Fortunately,  the  sudden  death  of  their  comrade  had  so  far 
unsteadied  their  nerves  that  their  aim  was  uncertain,  and  the 
25 


Adventures  of  an  Artful  Dodger.  415 

balls  buried  themselves  in  the  body  of  their  own  dead  officer. 

The  noise  of  the  shots  had  awakened  the  other  sleepers ;  one, 
taking  in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  and  probably,  thinking  that 
in  this  case  at  least  discretion  was  by  far  the  better  part  of 
valor,  took  to  his  heels  and  departed,  ignominiously,  but  in  safe 
ty.  The  other,  not  that  he  loved  life  less,  but  honor  more,  made 
a  stand  against  the  assailants;  but  he  had  not  been  careful  to 
place  his  pistols  safe  from  the  rain,  and  when  he  pulled  the  trig 
ger,  the  cap  snapped. 

Meanwhile  Smith  had  not  been  idle.  As  he  rose  he  fired  the 
five  shots  still  remaining  to  him  with  great  rapidity,  but  with  as 
steady  a  hand  as  if  the  target  were  not  a  living  one.  Two  of  the 
five  took  effect,  though  not  fatally ;  and  the  three  who  were  still 
unhurt,  having  discharged  their  guns  and  not  having  time  to  re 
load,  retreated  rapidly  towards  camp,  followed  by  their  wound 
ed  comrades.  Naturally  Smith  and  his  companion  had  no  desire 
to  pursue  the  fugitives;  knowing  that,  in  a  few  moments,  the 
entire  camp  would  be  alarmed  and  a  large  detachment  sent  out 
to  bring  them  in,  they  made  the  best  of  their  time  in  getting 
away  from  the  scene  of  the  skirmish,  separating  in  order  that 
they  might  double  the  chances  of  escape. 

Smith  had  put  off  his  haversack  and  shoes  when  he  lay  down ; 
his  blanket,  as  a  matter  of  course,  must  be  abandoned.  All  su 
perfluous  baggage  was  thus  of  necessity  left  behind;  though 
such  articles  have  seldom  been  considered  as  such,  even  by 
Stonewall  Jackson's  "  foot  cavalry,"  famous  for  its  rapid  march 
es  and  its  dependence  upon  the  enemy's  stores  for  subsistence. 

But  even  thus  unincumbered,  even  to  the  point  of  lacking 
necessaries,  he  felt  that  danger  thickened  around  him.  The 
Federals  had  found  their  comrades  in  camp,  already  on  the  qui 
vive  to  know  the  meaning  of  the  shots  which  they  had  heard  ; 
and  when  their  story  was  told,  all  were  eager  for  revenge.  A  cav 
alry  force  was  sent  to  block  the  way  to  the  mountains ;  and  in 
a  few  moments  it  seemed  that  every  avenue  of  escape  was  closed 
by  squads  of  infantry.  He  was  not  half  a  mile  from  the  starting 
point  when  he  saw  that  he  was  surrounded  on  every  side. 

It  was,  indeed,  a  dark  outlook  for  the  scout ;  he  knew  that,  if 
captured,  although  he  was  in  full  Confederate  uniform  and  wore 
side-arms,  he  would  would  be  treated  as  a  guerilla,  perhaps  as  a 
spy;  yet  escape  seemed  well-nigh  impossible.  With  such  a  fate 
in  prospect  he  could  not  surrender,  even  if  he  had  not  previ- 


416  Adventures  of  an  Artful  Dodger. 

ously  sworn  that  he  would  never  be  taken  alive;  there  was  but 
one  course  open  if  he  failed  to  elude  his  hundreds  of  pursuers, 
and  that  was  to  sell  his  life  as  dearly  as  possible.  Onward,  then, 
he  crept,  now  sheltering  himself  in  the  thick  bushes,  peering  out 
to  see  if  it  were  safe  for  him  to  dart  across  the  comparatively 
open  spaces;  now  stealing  along  where  an  audible  footstep 
might  be  a  signal  to  his  enemies. 

As  the  pursuers  closed  in  upon  him,  he  was  driven  to  the  more 
open  parts  of  the  forest,  where  not  only  were  the  trees  more 
scattered,  but  there  was  little  or  no  undergrowth.  Hitherto, 
caution  had  been  most  necessary ;  now  it  was  speed.  He  had 
turned  and  doubled  upon  his  pursuers  like  a  hare  before  the 
hounds,  and  now  stood  upon  the  border  of  a  small  field,  where 
he  must  either  risk  taking  the  open  space  or  returning  upon  his 
footsteps.  The  cries  of  his  antagonists  grew  louder  and  clearer 
as  they  lessened  the  distance,  showing  that  the  second  course 
was  entirely  impracticable.  "With  the  energy  of  desperation, 
then,  he  bounded  across  the  field,  towards  a  small  group  of  pines 
that  had  been  left  in  the  centre  of  the  clearing. 

One  of  these  had  been  felled  but  the  day  before,  and  its  foliage 
was  still  abundant  enough  to  afford  a  hiding-place.  Into  the 
midst  of  it  he  made  his  way,  and  for  a  few  brief  moments  there 
was  a  breathing  space  for  the  hunted  man.  Crouching  among 
the  boughs,  he  made  use  of  this  golden  opportunity  to  reload  his 
revolver,  for  he  knew  not  how  soon  again  he  would  be  engaged 
in  a  hand-to-hand  encounter,  as  desperate  as  that  at  the  bivouac. 
Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  pursuers,  their  approach  made 
known  by  their  wild  cries  as  well  as  the  tramp  of  many  feet 
upon  the  soft  earth  and  the  rustling  of  the  branches  which 
must  often  be  put  aside  as  they  made  their  way  through  the 
forest.  They  reached  the  fence  which  divided  the  cleared  field 
from  the  wood;  hastily  demolishing  the  frail  structure  of  rails, 
they  dashed  along — four  of  them. 

Closely  they  examined  the  field,  going  up  to  the  clump  of  pine 
trees  and  peering  curiously  around  them.  The  scout  cowered 
down  low  in  his  hiding-place,  and  held  his  breath,  lest  even  a 
sigh  betray  him. 

"  O,  I  guess  he  ain't  there,  boys;  there  ain't  any  place  big 
enough  for  him  to  hide  that  I  havn't  looked  into.  Come  on; 
let's  go." 

They  hurried  off;  and  the  scout,  relieved,  raised  his  head. 


Adventures  of  an  Artful  Dodger.  417 

As  he  did  so,  the  slight  rustling  thus  occasioned  caught  the  quick 
ear  of  one  of  the  Federals,  who,  less  easily  satisfied  than  his  com 
rades,  had  lagged  a  little  behind  them.  As  the  Yankee  turned 
his  head  quickly,  his  eye  met  the  scout's. 

"  Here  he  is,  boys/'  was  the  exclamation. 

"  Where,  where  ?"  cried  many  voices,  as  they  gathered  from 
all  parts  of  the  surrounding  woods  within  earshot,  and  hurried 
to  the  spot  whence  the  shout  had  come. 

The  scout  sprang  to  his  feet  as  soon  as  he  saw  thathis  presence 
was  discovered;  the  three  immediate  companions  ofthe  keen-eyed 
Federal  had  rejoined  him  immediately,  and  for  a  moment  the 
enemies  stood  glaring  at  each  other.  Not  a  movement  was  made, 
for  secure  in  the  knowledge  of  large  and  certain  reinforcements, 
the  assailants  made  no  advance  against  the  desperate  man  now 
surrounded;  while  he  paused  only  as  the  tiger  pauses  before 
making  its  final  leap  upon  its  prey. 

He  had  only  the  loads  in  two  revolvers  with  which  to  defend 
himself;  further  flight  was  well-nigh  impossible,  for  his  unpro 
tected  feet  were  torn  and  bruised  by  their  previous  service;  his 
pursuers  were  fresh. 

"  A  horse,  a  horse,  my  kingdom  for  a  horse  !" 

How  soon  the  circle  that  was  closing  around  him  might  num 
ber  hundreds  in  place  of  a  score  or  so,  he  could  not  tell ;  certain 
ly  it  would  not  be  many  minutes.  But  with  strength  already  se 
verely  taxed  by  the  chase,  how  could  he  break  through  that  ring 
and  gain  on  them  enough  to  enable  him  finally  to  escape  their 
clutches. 

It  all  flashed  through  his  mind  as  a  message  flashes  over  the 
wires ;  and  the  charm  that  held  them  gazing  at  him  as  the 
snake's  eyes  are  fixed  upon  its  trembling,  fluttering  victim  had 
not  ceased  when  his  blazing  glance  lighted  on  a  venerable  white 
mule,  quietly  grazing  in.  the  field,  not  twenty  feet  off.  A  leap,  a 
bound,  and  he  was  past  them ;  a  moment  more,  and  he  was  again 
bestriding  a  steed.  He  clutched  the  mane  convulsively  and  dug 
his  shoeless  heels  into  the  mule's  sides.  The  ancient  animal,  much 
astonished  at  these  proceedings,  as  well  as  by  the  shots  that  came 
whizzing  past,  set  off  at  full  speed  ;  nothing  better  could  have 
been  desired  by  the  scout.  After  him  came  the  Federals  in  full 
chase,  and  he  was  just  congratulating  himself  that  the  harmless 
shots  they  fired  at  him  served  in  place  of  spur  and  whip,  when, 
with  all  the  perversity  of  his  nature,  the  mulo  changedher  mind, 


418 


Adventures  of  an  Artful  Dodger. 


and  concluded  she  did  not  want  a  rider  who  goaded  so  sharply. 
Trained  to  field  sports  from  his  boyhood,  Smith  kept  his  seat, 
though  the  animal  seemed  to  wish  to  use  her  hind  legs  only  •  but 
the  mule  had  been  accustomed  to  be  backed  by  good  riders,  and 
when  she  found  that  this  one  was  not  to  be  thus  unseated,  began 
to  arch  her  back  in  that  peculiarly  aggravating  manner  known 
as  "  bucking."  The  combination,  together  with  very  vigorous 
kicking,  was  enough  to  unhorse  the  best  of  riders,  and  the  scout 


The  Mule  Changes  Her  Mind. 


soon  found  himself  sprawling  upon  the  ground.  His  pursuers 
urged  their  lagging  steps  still  faster  as  they  saw  their  game 
falling  so  certainly  within  their  clutches  ;  but  the  fugitive  had 
no  mind  to  be  thus  taken.  Gathering  himself  up  almost  as  soon 
as  he  touched  the  earth,  he  darted  into  the  woods,  the  border  of 
which  had  been  reached,  followed  by  a  storm  of  bullets,  shouts 
and  curses. 

Feeling  themselves  still  more  certain  of  their  prey  than  ever 
they  had  been  before,  since  there  is  a  limit  to  human  endurance, 
the  Federals  pressed  eagerly  onward.  The  scout  was  desperate. 
His  limbs  were  trembling,  his  feet  were  sore,  his  very  veins 


Adventures  of  an  Artful  Dodger.  419 

seemed  filled  with  liquid  fire.  If  he  kept  on,  he  could  hardly 
fail  to  be  overtaken  ;  then  would  it  not  be  as  well  to  turn  now, 
and  with  the  ten  loads  of  his  revolvers,  fight  as  long  as  possible, 
and,  when  they  were  gone,  die?  But  first,  he  must  have  some 
water — it  mattered  little  how  short  the  span  of  life  that  remain 
ed  to  him,  he  must  assuage  the  burning  thirst  that  was  torment 
ing  him. 

Kneeling  a  moment  on  the  bank  of  a  clear  brook  which  cross 
ed  his  path,  he  took  one  long  draught  of  the  sweet,  cool  water. 
Nearer  and  nearer  came  his  enemies,  and  springing  to  his  feet, 
he  had  barely  time  to  make  for  the  bushes  that  skirted  the 
stream  when  they  were  in  sight.  They  were  at  first  disposed  to 
make  but  a  cursory  examination,  supposing  that  of  course 
he  had  gone  on  farther;  but'  one  of  them  saw  the  print  of  his 
knee  on  the  sandy  bank  of  the  stream. 

"He  stopped  here  to  drink,  so  he  can't  be  far  off;  he  hasn't 
had  time  to  get  away." 

In  an  instant  the  field  was  surrounded  and  every  preparation 
made  for  a  diligent  search.  Not  a  mouse  could  have  left  that 
tract  of  land,  save  by  an  underground  passage,  unperceived  by 
the  cordon  of  soldiers  that  surrounded  it;  so  thickly  were  they 
posted.  Others  were  more  directly  occupied  in  the  search.  So 
closely  did  they  examine  the  ground  that  they  even  putasidethe 
bushes  and  peered  into  the  depths  of  leafage. 

The  scout  lay  flat  on  his  back  in  one  of  these  coverts,  a  revol 
ver,  loaded  and  cocked,  in  each  hand.  His  plan  was  simple: 
when  they  came  to  look  into  that  bush  as  closely  as  into  those 
near  by,  the  first  man  would  be  his  first  victim.  At  such  short 
range,  his  ten  bullets  would  only  fail  to  put  as  many  enemies 
out  of  the  world,  if  they  took  good  aim  before  he  could  empty  all 
the  barrels.  If  they  should  not  do  so,  and  should  fall  back,  or 
even  waver  an  instant  before  a  fire  so  murderous,  he  would  again 
break  through  their  masses  and  seek  another  shelter. 

As  he  lay,  calculating  his  chances,  a  small  party  approached 
the  bush  in  which  he  was  concealed.  Branch  after  branch  was 
pulled  aside,  but  without  success. 

"  D n  it,  where  in  the  devil  can  he  be?"    exclaimed  one  in 

tones  more  forcible  than  polite. 

The  rejoinder  intimated  that  if  he  wasn't  in  a  very  hot  place, 
the  name  of  which  has  since  been  changed,  it  wras  not  because  he 
did  not  deserve  it. 
27 


420  Adventures  of  an  Artful  Dodger. 

"  Well,  he  ain't  hero  at  any  rate,"  replied  the  first,  moving 
away. 

"  Don't  know  about  that;  I  guess  Til  take  another  look." 

As  he  bends  again  over  the  bushes,  and  pulls  away  the  branch 
es,  there  is,  not  three  feet  away,  a  revolver  pointed,  with  dead 
ly  aim,  at  his  heart.  Why  cannot  he  see  the  eyes  gleaming  with 
a  deadly  light,  just  beneath  his  own?  Has  his  good  genius 
blinded  him  ?  It  would  indeed  seem  so,  for  he  gave  up  the  search 
after  a  few  moments,  with  the  words  : 

"  I  guess  you  were  right  about  it,  Jim;  he  don't  seem  to  be 
there." 

"  Hang  him,  he  don't  seem  to  be  anywhere." 

"  But  how  can  we  hang  him  when  we  haven't  got  him  ?"  quer 
ied  a  wag  with  ghastly  wit.  f 

"  Well,  boys,  no  success  yet  ?"  asked  an  officer  coming  up. 

"Not  a  bit,  sir;  I'd  be  willing  to  take  my  oath  on  it  that  he 
ain't  anywhere  in  this  field." 

"  He  must  be.  Are  you  sure  he  isn't  anywhere  in  this  under 
growth  ? 

"  We've  pulled  aside  the  branches  of  every  bush  in  this  clump 
and  the  next,  and  the  one  beyond  that,  sir.  I  don't  think  there's 
a  square  foot  of  the  ground  they  cover  that  we  haven't  seen." 

The  voices  died  away  as  this  by  no  means  unwelcome  assur 
ance  was  conveyed  to  his  ear ;  and  the  scout  felt  free  to  breathe 
again. 

All  day  long  he  lay  there,  hearing  the  voices  and  the  footsteps 
of  his  enemies,  as  they  discussed  the  hunt ;  the  difficulties  with 
which  they  had  already  met,  the  chances  of  their  final  success. 
As  the  day  passed  away,  and  it  seemed  more  and  more  impossible 
that  he  could  be  concealed  within  the  limits  of  a  space  so  narrow 
and  so  thoroughly  searched,  the  number  of  guards  was  dimin- 
^ished.  As  night  drew  on,  he  gathered  his  strength  for  a  final 
trial;  creeping  silently  from  his  hiding-place  he  managed,  un 
der  cover  of  the  dense  blackness  of  the  night  and  the  fain,  to 
pass  the  sentinels  stationed  to  guard  the  field.  The  same  circum 
stances  enabled  him  to  elude  the  pickets.  Once  beyond  the  Fed 
eral  lines,  speed  was  of  more  importance  than  caution  ;  and  a  val 
uable  assistant  in  his  flight  was  awaiting  him  at  a  well-known 
point — his  horse.  Making  his  way  to  the  place  where  he  had  left 
the  animal  when  he  first  approached  the  Federal  camp,  he  was 
soon  mounted  and  able  to  defy  his  pursuers. 


Adventures  of  an  Artful  Dodger.  421 

By  dint  of  consuming  the  rest  of  the  night  on  the  road,  he 
reached  the  Confederate  lines  at  daybreak  the  next  morning,  to 
find  his  two  companions  on  the  scout  had  escaped  without  diffi 
culty.  The  fact  that  he  had  shot  the  sergeant  that  first  awakened 
him,  made  the  pursuers  bend  every  effort  to  secure  him,  rather 
than  his  comrade.  The  information  that  he  brought  in  regard 
to  G-en.  Meade's  forces,  had,  of  course,  been  already  given  to  the 
commanding  general  by  the  other  scouts,  who  had  supposed 
Smith  killed  or  captured. 


CAPTURING  A  PARTISAN. 

The  Partisan's  Record— Efforts  to  Take  Him— A  Discovery— Pursuit  by  Two 
Men— A  Rough  Road— A  Cold  Bath  and  Its  Results— Dashing  Onward— 
The  Scent  Lost — Another  Finds  It — The  Capture — Return — Value  of  the 
Prisoners — The  Captor's  Surprise. 

"T~TT~HEKEYER  the  numbers  of  Unionists  and  Secessionists 
YY  were  nearly  equally  balanced,  the  War  raged  with  a  fury 
unknown  in  those  regions  where  one  party  maintained  a  decided 
majority.  Private  wrongs  were  avenged  as  the  predominance  of 
one  party  gave  power  to  the  injured  man  ;  and  when  the  balance 
turned,  and  the  section  was  filled  with  the  soldiers  of  the  other 
army,  he  was  often  made  to  pay  dearly  for  his  vengeance.  Un 
der  such  circumstances  many  a  man  "took  to  the  brush,"  and 
all  the  horrors  of  partisan  or  guerilla  warfare  were  added  to 
those  troubles  which  the  whole  country  endured.  Among  the 
states  in  which  such  a  condition  of  affairs  prevailed  was  Tenn 
essee,  and  we  would  now  narrate  the  effort  to  capture  a  noted 
Confederate  partisan  of  that  state. 

Col.  Duncan  Cooper  had  for  a  long  time  troubled  the  Federals 
there  very  much,  and  many  scouting  parties  had  been  sent  out 
after  him,  only  to  return  empty-handed.  After  innumerable 
parties  had  tried  to  capture  him,  and  as  many  failed,  the  pro 
ject  began  to  be  looked  upon  as  something  nearly  or  quite  im 
possible  ;  and  though  many  a  venturesome  body  of  scouts  asked 
permission  to  undertake  it,  the  request  was  always  granted  with 
the  assurance,  on  the  part  of  the  commanding  officer  that  they 
would  return  as  they  came. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  when,  one  afternoon  in  the  latter 
part  of  February,  1864,  a  party  of  six  or  eight  recruiting  officers 

422 


Capturing  a  Partisan.  423 

i 

were  riding  leisurely  along,  on  the  banks  of  Swan  Creek,  some 
twenty  miles  west  of  Columbia.  They  were  somewhat  in  ad 
vance  of  the  foraging  detail,  which  was  pursuing  the  same  road. 
Suddenly  the  advance  party  discovered  four  guerillas,  riding  as 
carelessly  as  themselves,  along  a  by-way  to  the  right.  Every 
man  was  instantly  ready  with  his  pistol,  and  the  reports  rang 
out  simultaneously.  The  partisans,  evidently  surprised  by  this 
rude  announcement  that  the  enemy  was  in  their  neighborhood, 
looked  back  to  see  the  strength  of  the  attacking  force;  and  per 
ceiving  that  it  was  nearly  double  their  own,  galloped  off  with 
out  returning  the  fire. 

Among  the  Federals  was  a  private  of  the  Fiftieth  Illinois,  Sto- 
vall  by  name.  Without  waiting  for  order  or  signal  he  obeyed  the 
brave  man's  first  impulse,  and  dashed  after  the  retreating  enemy. 
The  others,  more  prudent,  or  mounted  on  less  manageable  steeds, 
remained  behind;  until,  for  very  shame,  one  of  them,  Lieut. 
Nelson,  found  a  way  to  make  his  horse  follow  Stovall's  lead, 
though  at  the  distance  of  twenty  yards. 

It  was  by  no  means  easy  to  follow  the  course  of  the  partisans, 
for  they  had  chosen  a  path  which  led  along  a  rough,  stony  creek. 
At  times  the  low  banks  disappeared  entirely,  and  only  over 
hanging  bluffs  or  ascents  too  steep  for  mounted  men  to  ride 
across,  bordered  the  stream.  At  such  places,  of  course,  their 
way  must  lie  along  the  very  bed  of  the  creek.  But  while  this 
seemed  rather  against  the  pursuers,  whose  horses  had  not  been 
trained  to  the  rough  roads  of  that  section,  it  turned  out  to  be  of 
advantage.  The  weather  was  bitterly , cold,  and  many  of  the 
stones  that  bordered  the  creek  were  covered  with  ice ;  indeed, 
only  the  swift  current  of  the  creek  prevented  its  being  frozen 
solid.  Any  one  who  has  ever  attempted  to  walk  down  hill  up 
on  a  bowlder  pavement  just  after  a  fall  of  sleet,  will  appreciate 
the  difficulty  which  the  horses  had  in  keeping  their  feet,  especi 
ally  when  descending  to  the  bed  of  the  stream. 

While  leaving  the  bank,  the  horse  ridden  by  one  of  the  Confed 
erates  slipped  and  fell,  throwing  bis  rider  over  his  head  into  the 
icy  water.  The  dismounted  man  rapidly  scrambled  out,  for  the 
pursuit  was  too  hot  to  allow  of  much  delay;  but  his  haste  was  in 
vain.  The  horse  had  soon  regained  his  footing,  and  frightened 
at  the  sudden  change  in  the  weight  upon  his  back,  and  no  longer 
restrained  by  a  strong  hand  upon  the  rein,  galloped  madly  up 
the  steep  ascent,  riderless. 


424 


Capturing  a  Partisan. 


The  dismounted  man  tried  to  mount  behind  one  of  his  compan 
ions,  but  the  horse  was  restive,  and  refused  to  carry  double. 
Some  time  was  lost  in  this  way,  and  when  the  animal  was  finally 
halted  and  brought  under  control,  the  saddle  turned  as  the 
unhorsed  man  gained  the  coveted  seat,  throwing  both  would-be 
riders  into  the  creek.  The  delay  had  been  fatal,  for  before  they 
had  recovered  themselves,  Stovall  dashed  up  and,  seeing  their 
plight,  called  upon  them  to  surrender.  Unhorsed,  the  weight  of 


•..-..-• 
•r/r 


A  Cold  Bath. 

their  clothing  increased  greatly  by  the  drenching  they  had  re 
ceived,  their  arms  rendered  unavailable  by  reason  of  the  same 
misfortune,  they  sullenly  admitted  themselves  his  prisoners. 

Although  their  firearms  were  rendered  useless  by  the  water, 
he  took  time  to  disarm  them,  for  they  carried  swords  and  knives. 
This,  however,  occupied  but  a  moment;  and  waving  his  pistol 
above  his  head  with  a  shout  of  triumph,  the  Federal  dashed  on 
at  the  same  speed  as  before  after  the  other  two  who  by  this 
time  were  entirely  out  of  sight.  His  rapid  riding  was  somewhat 
of  a  disadvantage,  for  he  did  not  pause  to  track  the  fugitives 


Capturing  a  Partisan.  425 

carefully  and  pursued  the  same  road  when  he  should  have  turn 
ed  aside  at  a  certain  point. 

Let  us  now  return  to  Lieut.  Nelson.  Hiding  after  Stovall,  he 
found  the  prisoners  that  the  latter  had  disarmed,  trying  to  wring 
the  water  out  of  their  clothes  and  otherwise  make  themselves 
somewhat  more  comfortable.  Learning  that  Stovall  had  not 
exacted  aparole  of  them,  but  had  contented  himself  with  simply 
disarming  them,  the  officer  thought  it  best  to  remain  in  charge 
of  them,  at  least  until  some  one  else  should  come  up.  He  had 
seen  the  other  Confederates  turn  from  the  road,  being  at  the 
time  on  a  higher  portion  of  the  rocky  path,  which  commanded  a 
wider  view  than  his  present  position;  and  felt  assured  that  Sto 
vall  had  not.perceived  the  change  of  course.  It  was  with  some 
impatience,  then,  that  he  remained  with  the  prisoners  and  with 
great  joy  that  he  saw  a  third  member  of  the  recruiting  party 
leisurely  riding  towards  him.  Calling  to  the  new  comer  to  hurry 
forward  to  the  prisoners,  he  set  spurs  to  his  hoije  and  galloped 
after  the  two  who  had  eluded  Stovall. 

Having  noticed  the  point  at  which  they  had  left  the  road,  he 
had  at  first  but  little  difficulty  in  following  them,  for  the  tracks  of 
their  horses'  feet  were  plainly  visible  in  the  light  snow  with 
which  this  sheltered  road  was  covered.  But  as  he  rode  out  from 
among  the  trees,  where  the  snow  had  melted  in  the  sun,  and  the 
ground  had  frozen  hard  again  at  night,  his  task  was  more  difficult. 
He  rode  hastily  up  the  first  road  by  which  he  could  ascend  the 
hill,  and  having  gained  the  summit,  looked  down  upon  the  coun 
try  around  him.  He  had  taken  the  right  path;  there,  in  the  hol 
low  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  the  two  Confederates  had  stopped  to 
adjust  their  saddles.  He  felt  a  momentary  doubt  as  to  the  result 
of  the  encounter  alone  with  two  of  the  enemy;  but  it  was  no 
time  to  retreat,  save  ingloriously,  and  that  he  would  not  do. 

"  Surrender,  if  you  value  your  lives,"  he  cried,  riding  down 
towards  them  as  if  he  had  a  company  at  his  back. 

They  sprang  to  their  saddles,  and  were  off  like  the  wind.  "I 
galloped,  he  galloped,  we  galloped  all  three."  Shot  after  shot 
the  Federal  sent  after  the  flying  enemy,  but  so  uneven  was  the 
ground  and  so  devious  was  their  course  that  not  a  bullet  reached 
its  mark.  At  last,  however,  there  was  one  apparently,  which 
whistled  alarmingly  near  to  their  ears,  and,  that  at  least  one 
might  escape,  they  separated.  The  horses  of  the  two  who  had 
been  captured  had  followed  these  men,  and  now  that  they  sep- 


426  Capturing  a  Partisan. 

arated,  continued  with  the  one  who  took  the  path  they  knew  best. 

After  this  man,  as  the  more  valuable  prize  if  taken,  the  Fed 
eral  took  his  way.  Closer  and  closer  they  drew  together,  pur 
suer  and  pursued ;  but  the  shots  of  the  former  were  still  as  inef 
fective  as  ever.  Nelson  -was  now  convinced  that  it  must  come  to 
a  personal  struggle,  for  his  revolvers  were  nearly  empty,  and  he 
had  no  time  to  reload.  He  determined  to  spur  up  alongside  the 
Confederate,  and,  with  a  blow  from  the  butt  of  a  pistol,  knock 
him  off  his  horse. 

No  sooner  was  the  plan  conceived  than  he  proceeded  to  put  it 
into  execution.  He  had  reached  the  desired  position  ;  the  weap 
on  was  raised  for  the  blow,  when  the  Eeb,  seeing  that  it  was  in 
evitable,  yielded  himself  a  prisoner.  Hastily  disarming  him, 
Lieut.  Nelson  directed  him  to  catch  the  two  loose  horses;  this 
was  readily  done,  and  the  two  rode  back  in  more  leisurely  style 
over  the  path  by  which  they  had  just  advanced  so  hastily. 

Thus  they  returned  to  the  point  where  Nelson  had  left  Sto- 
vall's  prisoners  in  charge  of  the  third  Federal  in  the  chase.  This 
was  Sergeant  Craig,  who  was  in  command  of  the  foraging  party, 
and  who  belonged  to  a  different  regiment  from  either  of  the 
others,  having  been  stationed  in  that  section  for  a  longer  time 
and  frequently  employed  in  scouting.  Stovall  came  up  almost 
at  the  same  time,  tired  and  much  chagrined  at  the  loss  of  his 
game.  But  Craig  had  a  consolation  for  him.  Leaving  the  pris 
oners  to  the  care  of  the  rest  of  the  party,  for  all  had  now  come 
up,  he  drew  the  two  pursuers  slightly  aside  and  asked  : 

"  Do  you  know  who  you  have  taken  ?" 

"  Guerillas,  ain't  they?" 

"  I  should  say  so.  Why,  that  one" — and  he  designated  the  Con 
federate  whose  horse  had  slipped  in  descending  the  bank  — 
"  that  one  is  Duncan  Cooper,  that  we've  been  trying  to  catch  for 
the  last  six  or  eight  months." 

Stovall  gave  a  long  whistle. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  don't  feel  quite  so  bad  as  I  did.  It  did  cut 
me  up  awfully  to  think  I'd  ridden  so  far  and  hadn't  caught  any 
game.  I  thought  they'd  all  got  away  from  us  for  good." 

The  three  prisoners,  with  the  three  horses,  were  conveyed  back 
to  camp,  where  all  were  heartily  welcomed,  but  one  especially 
so,  though  the  welcome  was  not  a  particularly  loving  one. 


^HAPTEFj 


COL.  MENEFEE'S  BIDE  FOR  LIFE. 

The  Partisans  and  Their  Outfit— A  Skirmish  in  the  Woods— Federal  Reinforce 
ments—Retreat  of  Confederates — Pursuit— The  Mountain  Side — For  the  Sake 
of  One  of  His  Men — A  Steep  Descent — A  Dash  Down  It. 

66  4  PEOPHET  is  not  without  honor,  save  in  his  own  coun- 
J\  try  and  among  his  own  people;"  but  it  is  different  in  the 
case  of  the  partisan.  His  services  are  much  appreciated  by  those 
who  are  nearest  to  him;  and  while  he  is  often  forgotten  by  the 
grave  historian,  his  name  is  remembered  by  the  people  long  af 
ter  his  bones  are  dust.  His  is  the  wildly  stirring  life,  spent  in  the 
.saddle,  in  the  mountain  fastnesses,  in  the  deep  recesses  of  the 
woods  ;  harassing  the  enemy  as  the  gadfly  the  horse.  Such  was 
Col.  N.  Menefee,  a  gallant  Kentuckian,  who,  at  a  comparatively 
early  date  in  the  war,  received  a  commission  in  the  Confeder 
ate  army.  He  was  favorably  known  far  and  wide  for  his  daring 
courage,  and  many  men  from  the  eastern  section  of  his  native 
state  flocked  to  his  standard.  They  had  not  the  latest  and  most 
approved  pattern  of  arms,  it  is  true;  many  of  them  were  provid 
ed  with  only  the  old-fashioned  flint-lock  muskets,  such  as  our 
great  grandfathers,  perhaps,  shouldered  when  they  marched 
against  King  George;  but  they  were  steady  hands  that  aimed  the 
ancient  guns,  and  warm,  brave  hearts  that  beat  with  pleasure 
when  the  enemy  was  near.  Such  were  the  men  that  came  to  him, 
no  unworthy  leader. 

There  was  a  skirmish  in  the  woods — of  no  importance,  the  his 
torian,  or  even  the  newspaper  would  say.  It  was  nothing  but  a 
chance  meeting  of  a  Federal  scouting  party  with  a  body  of  Con 
federate  partisans — that  was  all.  There  were  a  few  volleys  fired 

427 


428  Col.  Menefee's  Ride  for  Life. 

on  either  side,  but  they  were  somewhat  irregular ,  for  the  ancient 
percussion  caps  and  breech-loaders  were  by  no  means  certain  to 
go  off,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  better  armed,  but  less  de 
termined  force  retreated  in  considerable  disorder.  Two  of  their 
number  were  left  upon  the  field,  while  a  Confederate  made  the 
third  in  this  "bivouac  of  the  dead."  Four  of  the  Federals,  al 
though  wounded,  were  able  to  ride  off  to  camp  with  their  com 
rades. 

But  the  Federals  had  had  an  object  in  view  when  they  retreat 
ed — they  gave  the  alarm  in  camp  ;  the  long  roll  was  sounded, 
but  it  was  subsequently  determined  to  send  no  more  than  three 
hundred  men  out,  since  it  was  certain  that  the  enemy  could  not 
number  a  tenth  as  many.  In  reality,  there  were  but  thirteen  of 
Menefee's  men^  but  the  excited  imagination  of  the  Federals,  who 
were  raw  troops  had  trebled  their  strength.  The  Confederates, 
of  course,  could  not  make  a  stand  against  such  a  force,  and  the 
order  was  given  to  retreat.  It  came  too  late  for  them  to  make 
their  way  off  in  perfect  safety,  without  a  rear  guard,  and  this 
duty  the  leader  took  upon  himself.  Mounted  on  a  fine  blooded 
mare  which  had  carried  him  gallantly  to  the  hunt  and  the  battle, 
he  felt  confident  thather  speed  could  save  him,  come  what  might; 
and  while  his  men  were  climbing  the  mountain  cliffs,  he  remain 
ed  to  watch  the  enemy, 

For  nearly  an  hour  after  his  men  had  left  him,  he  stayed  there, 
while  the  enemy  searched  for  the  little  party.  At  last,  knowing 
that  farther  delay  would  be  dangerous,  he  turned  his  horse's 
head  up  Elk  Horn  Creek.  High  crags  and  inaccessible  bluffs 
rose  on  one  side  of  him,  while,  on  the  other  stretched  upward 
the  rugged  slopes  of  Cumberland  Mountain,  three  miles  high. 
His  path  lay  through  this  one  narrow  defile  ;  if  the  enemy  ap 
peared  at  one  end  of  it,  only  the  speed  of  his  horse  would  ena 
ble  him  to  escape;  for  to  climb  that  mass  of  bowlders  and  laurel 
thickets  was  well-nigh  impossible  for  a  man  on  foot;  and  it  had 
long  been  considered  totally  inaccessible  to  animals. 

Onward  he  rode,  supposing  himself  entirely  safe,  and  his  men 
escaped  to  the  mountain  fastnesses,  whither  the  enemy  could  not 
follow  them.  The  ravine  through  which  the  creek  ran  was  sev 
eral  miles  in  length,  and  had  but  few  openings.  The  Federals 
could  only  approach  him  from  the  rear;  excellently  mounted, 
and  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  country,  he  could  not  fail  to 
make  his  escape  good. 


Col.  Menefee's  Ride  for  Life.  429 

But  even  as  he  thus  congratulated  himself  on  the  certainty  of 
security  for  himself  and  his  command,  his  enemies  were  prose 
cuting  the  search.  The  scouting  party  had  lost,  in  killed  and 
wounded,  a  fourth  of  their  numbers;  and  their  comrades  were 
eager  to  avenge  the  injuries  received.  The  Confederate's  mare, 
faithful  as  a  watch-dog,  gave  a  loud,  shrill  snort;  and  looking 
ahead,  he  saw  a  body  of  at  least  a  hundred  Federal  troopers 
emerging  from  one  of  the  few  openings  in  the  side  of  the  ravine. 
He  had  calculated  that  they  either  would  not  suspect  his  course 
or  would  fail  to  find  these  cross  valleys;  but  his  calculations 
were  at  fault.  There  was  not  a  moment  to  be  lost,  for  they  had 
already  perceived  him.  The  bluffs  rose  nearly  perpendicularly, 
and  would,  even  if  he  gained  the  summit,  afford  him  no  advan 
tages,  for  he  would  be  closely  followed  by  the  Federals  ;  and 
the  enemy  might  have  additional  forces  within  call.  To  ride 
forward  was  to  rush  into  their  very  arms;  to  retreat  was  mad 
ness;  to  ascend  the  mountain  side  was,  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  dar 
ing  hunters  of  the  section,  impossible  for  a  horseman. 

Surrender  he  would  not,  and  the  only  alternative  was  to  climb 
those  steep  and  rugged  slopes.  Hardly  had  the  enemy  been  seen 
than  his  resolution  was  taken,  and  reining  his  mare  to  the  bluffs, 
to  give  her  a  good  start  over  the  comparatively  level  ground,  he 
urged  her  forward.  The  exultation  which  had  gleamed  in  the 
eyes  of  the  Federals  as  they  looked  upon  their  assured  prey  van 
ished  as  they  saw  that  prey  about  to  escape  their  clutches;  and 
with  a  series  of  wild  yells  they  rode  after  him.  They  knew  it 
was  impossible  for  them  to  ascend  the  mountain  on  horseback, 
and  when  they  came  to  the  ascent,  they  dismounted  and  prepar 
ed  to  continue  the  chase  on  foot. 

The  mountain  consists  of  a  series  of  terraces,  locally  known 
as  "  benches,"  from  which  the  action  of  the  wind  and  the  waters 
has  carried  the  softer  materials,  leaving  a  hard  and  rocky  soil, 
where  only  the  hardiest  of  plants  will  grow.  The  slopes  between 
these  benches  are  steep  and  rugged,  but  the  more  fertile  soil  is 
covered  with  a  denser  growth.  Such  was  the  slope  up  which  he 
was  to  ride  ;  and  the  Federals  felt  confident  that  in  being  on  foot 
they  had  a  great  advantage.  As  he  neared  the  top  of  the  first 
bench,  he  was  stopped  by  falling  timber.  The  pause,  however, 
was  not  unwelcome  to  the  mare,  whose  every  power  had  been 
strained  to  the  utmost;  and  Col.  Menefee  was  by  no  means 
averse  to  letting  her  get  her  breath. 


430 


Col.  Menefee's  Ride  for  Life. 


But,  to  the  Federals,  the  reason  for  the  halt  was  not  plain ; 
they  supposed  that  it  indicated  a  surrender.  They  pressed  on 
then,  with  exultant  cries  and  angry  oaths,  whenever  breath 
could  be  spared.  The  fugitive  was  hemmed  in  at  last;  he  could 
not  escape;  he  desired  to  surrender;  there  was  no  use  of  shoot 
ing  at  him  ;  it  would  be  a  waste  of  powder,  for  they  were  certain 
to  take  him  alive.  But  the  fugitive  himself  thought  differently 

of  these  things;  the 
breathless  mare  had 
pricked  up  her  ears  as  she 
heard  the  noises  of  pur 
suit;  and  now,  after  the 
momentary  rest,  a  touch 
of  her  rider's  heel  on  her 
side  was  enough  to  urge 
her  onward  up  the  rough 
slope.  An  instant  after 
she  had  leaped  the  bar 
rier,  and  horse  and  rider 
were  out  of  sight  of  the 
Federals,  sheltered  by 
friendly  rocks  and  bluffs. 
But  he  could  not  make 
his  way  much  farther  up 
ward  ;  and  under  this 
friendly  cover  he  dis 
mounted  and  prepared 
to  defend  himself  as  long 
as  he  could,  and  when  the 
odds  became  too  over 
whelming,  to  die  as  be 
came  a  soldier.  But,  as 
he  drew  his  revolvers  to 
examjne  them,  and  pre 
pare  himself,  he  caught 
sight  of  one  of  his  men  approaching  him  in  the  distance.  The 
poor  fellow  had  become  exhausted  in  his  flight  from  the  pursu 
ing  enemy  and  was  almost  fainting  with  fatigue.  To  attract  the 
enemy's  attention  to  this  spot,  was  to  sacrifice  this  faithful  soldier 
for  nothing,  and  although  this  was  well  calculated  for  defence,  he 
decided  to  make  another  stand;  to  fasten  the  attention  of  tbe 


Menefee's  Ride. 


Col.  Menefee's  Ride  for  Life.  431 

enemy  on  himself  alone,  and  thus  enable  the  man  to  escape. 

"  Climb  to  the  top  of  the  bluff,"  he  motioned  to  the  soldier, 
for  it  was  not  safe  to  speak.  The  soldier  obeyed  hastily,  and 
was  soon  out  of  sight  in  the  brush  that  clothed  the  steep  ascent. 
Meanwhile  Ccu,  Menefee  had  again  sprung  to  the  saddle.  He 
watched  the  soldier  disappear.  It  was  necessary  that  the  ene 
my  should  know  the  direction  that  the  horseman  had  taken,  if 
the  man  on  foot  was  to  escape.  Kising  in  his  stirrups,  the  gal 
lant  partisan  uttered  the  war  whoop  of  the  Osage  Indians.  The 
blood-curdling  sound  echoed  back  and  forth  along  the  bluffs  as, 
setting  spurs  to  his  horse,  he  dashed  down  a  rugged  ledge  of 
rocks.  After  him  came  the  pursuers  at  full  speed;  but  what  is 
the  speed  of  a  man  when  opposed  to  that  of  a  race-horse  ?  Down, 
down,  the  rough,  rocky  descent,  almost  as  steep  as  an  ordinary 
flight  of  stairs  ;  now  sliding,  now  leaping,  now  scrambling,  now 
on  the  full  run,  a  hundred  yards,  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  a  half  mile, 
to  the  very  bottom,  and  he  is  safe.  Now  the  Federals  have  giv 
en  up  the  chase,  cursing  the  Government  horses  that  could  not 
do  what  this  KebePs  has  done.  A  few  parting  shots  are  fired 
after  him,  but  not  one  reaches  its  mark;  and  that  night  Mene 
fee  is  with  his  men  at  the  rendezvous  appointed  in  the  morning. 


Gen.  N.  £.  Forrest. 


DAHLGREN'S  RAID. 

The  Object — Difference  of  Opinion — Organization  of  the  Force — Dahlgren's 
Record — Departure — A  Heavy  Storm — Failure  to  Co-operate — Skirmish  near 
Richmond — The  Retreat — Crossing  the  Stream — Movements  of  the  Confeder 
ates—The  Amhush  in  the  Woods— Death  of  Col.  Dahlgren— Action  of  the 
Confederate  Government. 

IN  the  month  of  February,  1864,  there  was  planned  a  raid 
which,  if  it  had  been  successfully  carried  out,  would  have 
been  one  of  the  most  memorable  of  the  war.  As  it  is — but  we 
anticipate  the  course  of  the  story. 

There  is  much  dispute  about  one  important  point  j  namely, 
the  object  for  which  the  expedition-  was  sent  out;  and  the  name 
of  the  man  who  stands  out  most  clearly  in  the  story  has  been 
lauded  to  the  skies  and  trampled  in  the  dust.  Fully  aware  of 
difficulties  which  await  him  in  the  effort  to  tell  the  story  fairly, 
the  writer  will  endeavor  to  avoid  the  fond  praises  of  the  mother 
of  the  dead  soldier,  as  well  as  the  execrations  of  the  most  violent 
of  his  enemies  that  ever  handled  a  pen  5  conscious  all  the  time 
that  those  who  would  wish  to  please  both  sides,  frequently  end 
by  failing  to  please  either. 

It  was  with  Gen.  Kilpatrick  that  the  idea  of  liberating  the 
prisoners  of  war  confined  in  Libby  amd  Belleisle  originated. 
The  project  met  with  the  approval  of  President  Lincoln  and  his 
Secretary  of  War,  and  the  dashing  cavalry  leader  was  desired 
to  organize  the  expedition.  Once  it  became  known  that  such 
a  raid  was  contemplated,  that  there  was  a  prospect  of  Federal 
troops  penetrating  to  the  very  inner  sanctuary  of  the  Confed 
eracy,  the  more  venturesome  spirits  became  wild  with  excite 
ment.  "On  to  Kichmond!"  had  been  their  desire  for  three 

432 


Dahlgren's  Raid. 


433 


years,  and  here,  perhaps,  was  the  opportunity  to  enter  the  capi 
tal  of  the  Secessionists. 

Among  those  who  volunteered  for  the  expedition  was  Col. 
Ulric  Dahlgren,  a  son  of  the  renowned  admiral,  and  a  young 
man  of  great  promise  as  a  soldier.  He  was  barely  twenty-one, 
and  had  already  made  himself  an  honorable  record.  But,  though 
he  was  anxious  to  go,  every  one  endeavored  to  dissuade  him; 
for  he  had  been  wounded  in  the  previous  July,  and  had  lost  his 
leg  in  consequence;  the  amputated  limb  was  not  yet  fully  heal 
ed,  nor  did  the  general  state  of  his  health  make  it  advisable  for 

him  to  undertake  ajourney 
which  promised  so  much 
hard  riding  and  hard  fight 
ing.  But  his  persistency 
defeated  all  the  efforts  of  his 
friends,  and,  his  services 
being  accepted,  he  was  giv 
en  an  important  post. 

The  entire  command  was 
divided  into  three  parts, 
one  of  which  was  led  by 
Gen.  Kilpatrick  in  person, 
while  the  second  was  as 
signed  to  Gen.  Ouster,  and 
the  third,  consisting  of 
about  seven  hundred  men, 

to  Col.  Dahlgren.  The  second  of  these  was  merely  intended  to 
create  a  diversion  by  a  feint  upon  Charlottesville;  while  the 
first  and  third  were  to  remain  united  until  they  reached  Beav 
er  Dam,  where  they  were  to  separate  and  attack  Richmond, 
Kilpatrick  from  the  north,  and  Dahlgren  from  the  south. 

Such  was  the  plan  of  the  raid,  briefly  sketched  out.  The  ob- 
ect  of  it  is  stated  by  the  Federal  authorities  to  have  been 
nothing  more  than  the  liberation  of  the  prisoners  of  war  in  the 
hands  of  the  Confederates,  and  the  destruction  of  government 
stores;  while  many  Southern  writers  maintain  that  the  " Dahl 
gren  papers"  are  authentic;  if  this  be  true,  the  raiders  intend 
ed  to  burn  the  city  and  put  the  more  prominent  Confederate 
officials  to  the  sword.  That  is  not  a  matter  to  be  discussed  here, 
however,  and  the  reader  is  invited  to  take  that  view  which  best 
accords  with  his  general  sentiments  in  regard  to  the  War. 


434 


Dahlgren's  Raid. 


The  whole  force  set  out  just  at  night-fall  of  Feb.  28th,  1864, 
Dahlgren's  command  being  the  advance-guard.  Crossing  the 
Rapidan  at  Ely's  Ford,  they  found,  as  they  had  expected,  a 
strong  picket  posted  on  the  farther  bank;  but  succeeded  in  cap 
turing  them  without  giving  the  alarm  to  a  considerable  body  of 
the  enemy  that  lay  at  no  great  distance.  The  nature  of  the  ex 
pedition  required  that  its  end  should  be  accomplished  as  speed- 
ily  as  possible,  or  the  comparatively  small  body  of  raiders  might 
find  that  they  had  drawn  down  a  hornet's  nest  on  their  own  de 
voted  heads.  There 
were  none  of  the  usual 
long  halts,  then,  for 
food  or  rest.  A  hasty 
meal  by  the  road-side, 
a  short  nap  in  the  sad 
dle — these  wereallthat 
the  troopers  were  to 
expect. 

They  rode  onward, 
then,  all  night,  and  far 
into  the  next  day,  be 
fore  any  halt  was  or 
dered  ;  and  that  was  to 
accomplish  a  certain 
part  of  the  task  assign 
ed  rather  than  to  re 
fresh  the  ((  inner  man"  Crossing  the  Rapidan. 
with  food  or  rest.  It  was  between  two  and  three  o'clock  on 
the  afternoon  of  Feb.  29th,  that  they  struck  the  Virginia 
Central  Railroad,  about  a  mile  from  Frederic's  Hall  Station. 
Riding  along  the  road  to  the  station,  they  captured  a  small  par 
ty  of  Confederate  officers  that  they  found  there;  and,  continu 
ing  along  the  same  route  for  five  miles  farther,  tore  up  a  half 
mile  of  the  rails  and  cut  the  telegraph  wire  in  several  places. 

Having  thus  destroyed  communication  among  the  different 
portions  of  the  enemy's  force,  the  command  divided,  as  had  been 
arranged  beforehand;  Gen.  Ouster's  force  having  left  the  main 
body  soon  after  setting  out.  Col.  Dahlgren,  in  accordance  with 
the  plan  of  the  expedition,  turned  to  the  south,  and  crossed  the 
South  Anna  about  an  hour  before  dark.  As  night  came  on,  the 
sky,  which  had  not  been  clear  during  the  day,  assumed  a  more 


Dahlgren's  Raid.  435 

threatening  appearance,  and  after  a  few  scattering  drops  that 
gave  warning  of  what  was  to  come,  the  rain,  about  ten  o'clock, 
began  to  fall  in  torrents.  The  men  had  been  in  the  saddle  near 
ly  thirty  hours;  a  thorough  drenching  was  soon  added  to 
their  other  discomforts ;  and  the  darkness  rendered  it  almost  im 
possible  for  them  to  keep  the  road.  Under  such  circumstances, 
it  was  deemed  necessary  to  halt,  and  about  midnight  they  drew 
rein  before  a  small  grocery  store  that  stood  by  the  road,  for  sup 
per  and  rest. 

Before  daylight  of  March  1st,  however,  they  were  stirring ; 
and  it  was  about  half-past  six  when  they  mounted  and  rode  on 
ward.  It  was  still  raining  when  they  started,  and  the  roads 
were  in  a  terrible  condition;  but  in  about  half  an  hour  the  rain 
ceased ;  and  although  the  sky  was  still  cloudy,  a  brisk  breeze 
promised  to  dry  the  mud  somewhat.  It  was  one  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  when  they  struck  the  plank  road  leading  to  Richmond; 
and  approaching  the  capital  by  this  route,  fell  in,  two  hours 
later,  with  the  Confederate  pickets.  But  the  alarm  of  the  ap 
proach  of  a  Federal  force  had  reached  the  Southern  headquar 
ters,  and  the  pickets  had  been  strengthened.  It  was  only  after 
•sharp  firing,  continued  for  sometime,  that  these  were  driven  in. 

But  the  plank  road  was  a  somewhat  roundabout  way  of  reach 
ing  the  city,  and  having  driven  in  the  pickets,  they  approached 
the  objective  point  more  directly.  A  little  before  dark,  a  halt 
was  called,  eight  miles  from  Richmond  ;  and  the  wearied  troop 
ers  were  permitted  time  to  make  such  a  meal  as  circumstances 
would  allow. 

Here  it  was  expected  that  they  would  be  joined  by  the  main 
command,  or  at  least  receive  some  orders  as  to  the  next  step. 
But  this  hope  was  doomed  to  disappointment.  It  mattered  lit 
tle,  at  that  time,  that  Ouster  had  been  driven  back  from  Char- 
^ottesville  by  a  considerable  force  of  Stuart's  cavalry,  stationed 
there ;  the  thing  of  main  importance,  at  this  moment,  was  the 
position  of  Kilpatrick.  But  there  was  no  visible  trace  of  that 
officer;  as  was  afterwards  ascertained  by  Dahlgren's  men,  he 
had  appeared  near  Richmond  that  morning  and  created  consid 
erable  alarm  and  confusion ;  but  had  fallen  back,  taking  up  a 
line  of  march  down  the  peninsula. 

Dahlgren,  considering  himself  in  honor  bound  to  ascertain  tho 
whereabouts  of  the  main  force,  or  at  least  to  learn  its  fate,  ad 
vanced  a  little  farther.  But  his  onward  march  was  opposed  by 
28 


436 


Dahlyren's  Raid. 


a  body  of  Confederate  militia,  hastily  collected  to  assist  in  de 
fending  the  capital.  The  cavalry  dashed  on  in  a  wild  charge, 
and  the  infantry  retreated  to  the  outer  line  of  fortifications. 
Here,  however,  they  rallied,  and  poured  such  a  heavy  fire  into 
the  columns  of  the  Federals  that  the  latter  fell  back.  How  great 
a  force  barred  their  way,  the  raiders  could  not  tell.  The  rain 
had  recommenced,  and  was  falling  in  torrents;  the  night  was 
pitch  dark  ;  the  only  sense  that  could  guide  the  men  on  either 

side  as  to  the  position     

of  the  enemy  was  the 
sense  of  hearing.  No 
news  of  Kilpatrick  had 
reached  this  part  of  the 
force;  and  thus  beset  by 
uncertainty,  the  retreat 
was  begun. 

In  an  ordinaryretreat, 
the  rear  is  the  post  of 
danger,  and  therefore  of 
honor;  but  in  a  case 
such  as  this,  where  a 
small  body  was  retreat 
ing  through  the  ene 
my's  country,  an  attack 
might  be  looked  for  in 
the  front  or  on  the  flank, 
as  well  as  in  the  rear;  it 
was,  indeed,  more  proba 
ble  that  a  force  would 

. ,  . ,  -Col.  Ulric  Dahlgren. 

meet  them  than  pursue 

them,  for  their  rate  of  speed  was  such  that,  once  given  a  slight 
start,  they  were  not  likely  to  be  overtaken.  Col.  Dahlgren, 
then,  took  command  of  the  advance  guard,  numbering  about  one 
hundred  men;  while  the  main  body  of  his  command  followed  at 
the  usual  distance. 

As  we  have  said,  the  night  was  a  very  dark  one  ;  there  was  no 
slight  danger,  then,  that  the  main  body  would  fail  to  follow  the 
advance  exactly;  and  to  prevent  such  a  misfortune,  pickets  on 
white  horses  were  posted  along  the  road  to  act  as  guides.  But, 
in  spite  of  this  precaution,  the  command  became  divided;  the 
main  body  falling  so  far  behind  the  advance  as  to  be  cut  off  by 


Dahlgren's  Raid.  437 

the  enemy  and  compelled  to  take  another  route.  The  advance 
held  on  their  way,  riding  steadily  onward,  though  the  rain  fell 
in  torrents,  and  their  cloaks  were  stiff  with  sleet.  They  reached 
the  Pamunkey  about  daybreak,  and  proceeding  along  the  south 
bank,  came  to  the  Mattapony  about  noon.  The  ferry  boat  at 
this  point  had  been  removed  by  the  enemy,  and  the  stream,  swol 
len  with  the  recent  rains,  and  fretting  and  dashing  along  its 
channels,  must  be  crossed  by  aid  of  an  old  flat-boat,  which  the 
Confederates  had  thought  unworthy  of  their  attention.  Of 
course,  when  such  was  the  only  means  of  transportation,  the 
horses  must  swim  j  and  they  were  soon  struggling  in  the  muddy, 
icy  water. 

The  boat  was  so  small  and  so  hard  to  manage,  the  current  so 
swift  and  strong,  that  much  time  was  occupied  in  crossing.  In 
the  meantime,  a  party  of  Confederate  Eangers,  which  had  set  out 
in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  rather  to  harrass  the  rear  than  to  make 
any  formal  attack,  had  come  up;  and  not  venturing  to  show 
themselves,  since  they  numbered  only  about  twenty,  stole  into 
the  bushes  which  overhung  the  banks  of  the  stream.  Every 
possible  precaution  had  been  taken  by  the  Federals  to  prevent 
a  sudden  attack  ;  and  the  dropping  fire  of  the  concealed  men  was 
answered  readily  by  the  videttes  posted  on  the  bank;  while, 
occasionally,  Col.  Dahlgren,  who  had  dismounted  and  now  stood 
resting  on  his  crutches,  to  watch  the  passage  of  his  men  across 
the  river,  turned  and  fired  his  revolver  in  the  direction  of  the 
shots.  At  last,  the  rear-guard  dashed  down  the  bank  and  em 
barked,  the  commander  followed  his  men  on  board  the  flat-boat, 
and  all  had  safely  crossed  the  Pamunkey. 

It  was  now  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  command  took 
what  was  known  as  the  "river  road,"  and  continued  the  march 
until  about  ten  o'clock.  In  the  meantime,  the  Confederates  hav 
ing  been  reinforced  by  various  small  forces,  until  the  whole  com 
mand  numbered  between  seventy  and  eighty,  had  determined 
to  ambush  the  Federals.  Scouts  kept  the  pursuers  informed  as 
to  the  numbers  and  movements  of  the  invading  force;  and  the 
point  of  concealment  was  fixed  about  a  mile  and  a  half  below 
Stevensville. 

In  the  Confederate  councils,  there  was  a  difference  of  opinion 
as  to  when  Dahlgren  would  advance.  They  had  already  learned 
of  the  halt  that  had  been  called,  and  knowing  that  the  men  had 
been  almost  constantly  in  the  saddle  for  two  days  and  nights, 


438  DaJilgren's  Raid. 

many  supposed  that  they  had  bivouacked  for  the  night;  others, 
that  they  would  move  on  when  the  moon  rose,  between  two  and 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning;  while  others  still  advanced  the 
opinion  that  he  would  halt  only  long  enough  to  feed  the  horses. 
The  force  was  composed  of  several  independent  commands,  and 
each  officer  proceeded  to  act  on  his  own  opinion.  Many  of  the 
men  were  dispersed  for  a  little  rest,  and  ordered  to  be  at  the 
rendezvous  in  the  woods  by  moonrise. 

The  halt  had  been  for  only  an  hour;  and  at  eleven  o'clock  the 
Union  troops  moved  onward  through  the  woods,  Col.  Dahlgren 
at  the  head  of  the  column.  Though  it  was  not  raining,  the  night 
was  dark;  and  even  the  naked  branches  and  trunks  of  the  trees 
around  them  increased  the  obscurity.  It  was  with  some  diffi 
culty,  then,  that,  about  midnight,  the  young  officer  discerned  a 
small  force  of  men  in  the  road  before  him.  He  demanded  their 
surrender;  the  answer  was  a  volley  from  their  carbines;  and  at 
the  same  moment  the  Confederates  concealed  in  the  woods  fired. 
The  Federals  replied  in  the  same  manner,  encouraged  by  the 
voice  of  their  leader;  but  as  he  reeled  and  fell  from  his  saddle, 
their  courage  and  energy  completely  forsook  them.  The  utmost 
confusion  prevailed  among  them  ;  some  put  spurs  to  their  wearied 
horses  and  escaped  by  flight;  others  surrendered  at  discretion. 
There  was  not  one  to  "fight  as  their  leader  fought,  fall  as  their 
leader  fell;"  not  one  to  avenge  his  death. 

Two  or  three  privates  had  been  wounded,  but  only  the  com 
mander  had  been  killed.  With  him,  however,  died  the  expedi 
tion,  which  had  thus  proved  such  a  disastrous  failure.  Even  ac 
cording  to  the  account  of  a  notoriously  partial  Southern  writer, 
his  is  the  central  figure  of  the  three  officers  in  command ;  he,  al 
though  the  youngest  and  the  lowest  in  rank,  was  the  only  one 
who  in  any  degree  approached  the  accomplishment  of  his  object ; 
and  his  failure  was  perhaps  due  to  the  sudden  and  unexpected  re 
treat  of  Kilpatrick,  without  giving  any  kind  of  warning  to  the 
officer  who  was  to  act  in  co-operation  with  him. 

The  affair  aroused  the  most  violent  discussion  at  the  time,  the 
subject  of  dispute  being  the  object  of  the  expedition.  In  the 
Eichmond  papers,  there  were  published,  a  day  or  so  after  the 
death  of  the  officer  in  command  of  the  expedition,  certain  papers 
said  to  have  been  taken  from  the  dead  body  of  the  Federal ;  one 
of  these  was  an  address  to  the  officers  and  men  composing  the 
expedition,  and  mentioned  the  burning  of  the  city  and  the  kill- 


440 


Dahlgren's  Raid. 


Dahlgren's  Raid.  441 

ing  of  the  Confederate  President  and  his  chief  advisers  as  one  of 
the  ends  to  be  attained.  On  the  other  hand,  Lieut.  Bartley,  act 
ing  adjutant  to  Col.  Dahlgren,  and  the  only  staff  officer  accom 
panying  the  command,  avers  positively  that  the  only  orders  is 
sued  were  in  relation  to  the  liberation  of  prisoners  and  the  de 
struction  of  the  Confederate  States  Government  buildings  and 
stores;  with  strict  injunctions  not  to  take  life  except  in  fair 
fight,  and  to  treat  prisoners  with  as  much  respect  as  was  consis 
tent  with  their  safety.  It  is.  claimed  that  the  papers  were  a  for* 
gery. 

The  approach  of  a  Federal  force  to  within  such  a  short  dis 
tance  of  Richmond  excited  considerable  alarm  in  the  capital, 
and  the  raiders  were  denounced  as  murderous  and  incendiary  fel 
ons.  Many  urged  the  severest  kind  of  retaliation,  but  no  deci 
sive  steps  were  taken  by  the  Government.  The  only  act  resulting 
from  this  attempt  was  the  placing  of  several  tons  of  powder 
under  Libby  Prison,  a  fact  which  was  published  far  and  wide,  in 
order  to  show  how  worse  than  fruitless  would  be  any  other  ef 
fort  to  liberate  the  prisoners  there  confined. 

The  body  of  Dahlgren  was  taken  in  charge  by  the  Confederate 
Government,  and  secretly  buried  in  an  unmarked  grave.  But 
the  spot  was  noted  by  some  secret  sympathizers  with  the  Union 
cause,  and  after  the  War  was  over,  the  remains  were  exhumed 
and  sent  to  Washington;  there  the  body  was  delivered  to  his 
family,  and  replaced  in  a  grave  marked  with  his  name. 


ADVENTURE  OF  FOEAGEES. 

Relaxing  Discipline — Three  Foragers — A  Promising  Barn — Captured  —  A  Coun 
cil  of  War  —  Ten  Minutes  to  Pray  In  —  They  Prefer  to  Pray  Somewhere 
Else  —  A  Race  and  an  Interested  Spectator — Who  Soon  has  a  Race  of  His 
Own — Escape — Revenge. 

EARLY  in  April,  1864,  several  regiments  of  the  United  States 
Army  were  temporarily  encamped  at  Natchitoches,  La. 
They  formed  a  portion  of  the  troops  used  by  Gen.  Banks  for  his 
unfortunate  Bed  Eiver  expedition,  disowned,  after  its  disastrous 
failure,  by  the  authorities  at  Washington.  But  it  is  not  our  pur 
pose  to  give  a  history  of  this  intended  blow  at  the  Southwest,  or 
even  to  narrate  one  of  the  more  important  events.  Let  us  con 
cern  ourselves  only  with  the  fortunes  of  a  trio  of  foragers. 

One  of  the  regiments  there  encamped,  the  Forty-eighth  Ohio 
Infantry,  had  bee-n  promised  the  name  of  "Veteran  Volunteers" 
and  a  thirty  day's  furlough  for  all  the  men,  if  they  would  re-en 
list  in  a  body  for  three  years  longer;  but  the  empty  honor  of 
the  name  was  the  only  reward  really  given,  after  their  accept 
ance,  and  they  waited  in  vain  for  the  much  desired  furlough.  As 
the  months  went  on,  and  they  found  that  the  promise  was  not 
likely  to  be  fulfilled,  it  became  exceedingly  difficult  to  control 
them;  and  the  officers  wisely  allowed  the  men  many  privileges 
not  exactly  consistent  with  the  strictest  discipline. 

Of  all  the  privileges  which  a  soldier  covets,  there  is  not  one 
that  is  dearer  to  his  heart,  when  he  is  encamped  in  the  enemy's 
country,  than  foraging.  Often,  distance  from  the  Government 
supplies  and  the  vicinity  of  the  enemy  prevent  the  army  from  ob 
taining  the  rations  due  to  them  ;  so  that  it  becomes  a  matter  of 
necessity  that  the  men  should  obtain  supplies  in  any  way  possible. 

442 


Adventure  of  Foragers.  443 

However  it  may  have  been,  certain  it  is  that  while  this  command 
was  encamped  at  Natchitoches,  three  privates,  one  from  the 
Twenty-fourth  Iowa,  and  two,  Pavy  and  McCune,  of  the  Ohio 
regiment  mentioned,  went  out  on  such  an  expedition. 

Affairs  were  progressing  satisfactorily  as  far  as  they  had  gone, 
but  they  had  not  obtained  a  sufficient  supply  of  substantials  and 
delicacies  to  justify  them,  as  they  thought,  in  returning  to  camp. 
Just  at  this  juncture,  they  spied  a  barn,  the  surroundings  of 
which  gave  promise  of  plenty.  Toward  this  they  accordingly 
bent  their  steps,  and  were  soon  lost  to  view  in  the  masses  of  hay 
with  which  the  building,  notwithstanding  the  season,  was  plen 
tifully  stocked.  As  they  hunted  through  the  heaps,  yet  fragrant 
from  the  mowing,  they  dreamed  sweet  dreams  of  meals  where  the 
rusty  and  strong  bacon  provided  by  the  Government  should  be 
rendered  temptingly  palatable  by  fresh  eggs. 

But  whether  this  was  not  their  favorite  resting-place,  or  the 
hens  were  possessed  of  more  than  the  usual  share  of  acuteness 
in  concealing  their  treasures,  certainly  the  eggs  were  not  as 
abundant  nor  as  easily  found  as  they  expected.  At  last,  how 
ever,  they  emerged  from  the  inner  recesses  of  the  building  to 
compare  notes  and  consolidate  their  findings.  Just  as  they  were 
about  to  transfer  the  spoil  from  their  caps  to  a  basket  which 
they  found  near  by,  they  were  confronted  by  two  Confederate 
soldiers,  fully  armed. 

"Surrender,  you  d d  thieving  Yankees,  or " 

A  glance  at  the  revolver  which  the  speaker  held  in  his  hand 
was  more  expressive  than  words  could  have  been.  As  the  for 
agers  had  laid  aside  their  guns  when  they  first  entered  the  barn, 
they  were  entirely  unarmed;  and  they,  of  course,  could  do 
nothing  but  comply  with  the  demand.  The  Confederates  had 
already  possessed  themselves  of  the  three  muskets,  so  that  there 
was  no  occasion  to  disarm  the  prisoners,  but  in  default  of  such  a 
necessity,  they  were  compelled  to  unload  their  spoils.  As  the  pris 
oners  numbered  more  than  the  captors,  the  former  were  secured 
by  having  their  arms  tied  behind  them,  a  single  piece  of  rope 
serving  for  all.  Thus  guarded,  they  were  ordered  to  march 
along  an  indicated  road.  At  last  they  reached  what  the  Con 
federates  considered  a  safe  distance  from  the  Federal  lines, 
which  were  not  far  from  the  barn  ;  and  the  prisoners  were  seat 
ed  on  a  log  that  lay  near  the  roadside,  while  the  captors  with 
drew  a  couple  of  paces  to  consult;  still  keeping,  of  course,  a 


444 


Adventure  of  Foragers. 


sharp   lookout  upon   the   three  blue-coats,    lest  they   escape. 

Though  the  conversation  was  conducted  in  as  low  a  tone  as 
possible,  they  were  obliged,  for  safety's  sake,  to  remain  so  near 
the  prisoners  that  much  of  it  was  audible  to  the  three  men  seat 
ed  on  a  log.  Murmurs  from  such  a  conversation  as  this  reached 
their  ears  : 

"Don't  you  think  we  could  ?" 

"Don't  believe  it  would  be  safe.     You  see,  there  being  three 


The  Foragers  Surprised. 

of  them  to  two  of  us  makes  it  risky." 

"But  they  are  unarmed." 

"That's  true;  but  we  have  to  tie  them  together,  and  we  can't 
tell  when  they'll  make  a  concerted  movement  to  escape.  They're 
going  to  try  it,  of  course." 

"Our  lines  are  a  good  ways  off.     If  it  wasn't  so  far,  now — " 

The  speaker  paused,  and  glanced  anxiously  at  the  prisoners. 

"After  all,"  he  continued,  "I  believe  you're  right  about  it. 
Will  you  tell  them,  or  shall  I?" 

"I  will,  if  you  don't  want  to." 


Adventure  of  Foragers.  445 

And  advancing  a  step  towards  the  log,  he  addressed  the  men 
sitting  upon  it,  who  were  busily  engaged  in  guessing,  from 
the  disconnected  fragments  that  they  had  heard,  the  subject  and 
the  result  of  the  consultation. 

"We  have  decided  not  to  take  you  to  camp,  for  our  lines  are  a 
good  ways  off.  There's  only  one  way  to  dispose  of  you.  You 
can  have  ten  minutes  to  say  your  prayers,  after  we  get  a  little 
farther  into  the  woods." 

"Better  tie  them  a  little  more  securely,  I  reckon,  suggested 
the  other. 

-  But  when  men  are  once  condemned  to  death,  they  fear  nothing, 
for  nothing  can  be  worse  than  the  fate  which  certainly  awaits  them. 
As  the  Confederates,  recognizing  this,  proceeded  to  bind  the 
prisoners  yet  more  securely  before  leading  them  to  the  spot 
where  they  were  destined  to  die,  the  lowan,  with  the  strength 
born  of  desperation,  started  to  run,  drawing  his  two  comrades, 
of  course,  with  him.  But  if  he  had  been  quick  in  his  movements, 
the  captors  proved  equally  so.  One  of  them,  raising  his  revol 
ver,  sent  a  ball  crashing  through  the  skull  of  the  liberty-loving 
prisoner.  He  fell  like  a  log,  dragging  down  his  companions  on 
either  side,  nearly  to  the  ground;  for  he  fell  so  suddenly  that 
they  had  no  time  to  resist.  But  even  as  he  fell,  Pavy,  inspired 
by  his  example  and  unwarned  by  his  fate,  summoned  all  his 
strength  for  one  last  effort. 

With  a  sudden  pull,  to  which  despair  gave  force,  he  burst  his 
bonds,  and  ran  at  his  utmost  speed  towards  the  Federal  lines, 
closely  pursued  by  one  of  the  Confederates.  As  McCune  made  a 
similar  movement,  the  other  Southerner,  quicker  to  comprehend 
the  case  than  his  companion,  struck  the  prisoner  a  blow  on  the 
head  with  the  butt  end  of  his  musket,  that,  for  a  moment,  knock 
ed  him  senseless;  then  turned  to  watch  the  progress  of  the 
chase. 

But 'experience  had  taught  McCune  that  he  had  to  deal  with  a 
foe  that  was  quick  to  see  and  to  act;  that  the  only  hope  of  es 
cape  lay  in  outwitting  him.  When,  therefore,  he  returned  to 
consciousness,  as  he  did  in  a  few  minutes,  he  gave  no  sign  that  he 
was  in  possession  of  his  senses.  The  Confederate  still  stood 
leaning  on  his  musket,  watching  his  companion  and  Pavy  run; 
for  they  were  yet  far  from  being  out  of  sight.  McCune's  first 
effort  was  to  loosen  the  ropes,  which  not  only  prevented  the  free 
use  of  his  arms,  but  encumbered  him  with  the  weight  of  the 


446  Adventure  of  Foragers. 

lowan's  dead  body.  Any  sudden  movement  on  his  part  would 
undoubtedly  recall  the  Confederate's  attention  from  the  race  to 
his  charge,  and  then  a  continuance  of  his  efforts  would  result  in 
death.  Carefully,  slowly,  silently  he  worked  at  the  knots,  his 
progress  being  but  slight  in  what  seemed  an  age,  because  his 
hands  were  behind  him.  But  it  is  really  only  a  few  minutes  be 
fore  he  is  free,  and  springing  to  his  feet,  he  rushes  past  the  as 
tonished  Confederate,  after  the  others. 

Meanwhile  Pavy  had  fled  almost  on  wings  of  the  wind,  follow 
ed  by  the  Confederate,  who  was  almost  equally  fleet  of  foot. 
But  the  Federal  had  this  advantage,  that  any  chance  and  unex 
pected  encounter  would  in  all  likelihood  be  with  a  friend,  and 
would  mean  safety ;  while  the  pursuer  had  to  exercise  every 
care  to  avoid  falling  into  the  hands  of  those  who  would  befriend 
the  fugitive.  But  at  last  the  neighborhood  became  too  danger 
ous  for  him  ;  they  were  too  near  the  Federal  lines  for  the  Con 
federated  liking;  and  he  gave  up  the  chase. 

McCune  followed  the  path  which  these  two  had  taken,  for  som* 
little  time;  closely  pursued,  in  his  turn,  by  the  other  guard, 
whose  enjoyment  of  the  race  had  been  so  rudely  ended  by  the  un 
expected  escape  of  his  prisoner.  But  reflecting  that  the  return 
of  Pavy's  pursuer,  with  or  without  having  recaptured  the  fugi 
tive,  would  probably  be  along  the  same  path  by  which  he  had 
gone,  he  turned  aside.  Although  his  prime  object  was  not  to 
elude  his  own  pursuer,  he  not  only  avoided  the  return  of  the 
first,  but  completely  baffled  the  second  by  the  numerous  turns 
which  he  made.  Gradually  the  sound  of  footsteps  grew  fainter 
and  fainter ;  then  as  the  Confederate  saw  that  he  was  likely  to 
lose  his  prey  if  it  took  him  so  long  to  track  it,  a  bullet  whistled 
by  McCune's  cars.  Another  and  another  came,  until  the  Reb's 
revolver  was  emptied.  To  stop  to  reload,  of  course,  would  only 
increase  the  disadvantage  at  which  he  already  stood,  and  the 
gray-coat  sullenly  gave  up  the  chase  and  retraced  his  steps. 

Trembling  in  every  limb  from  the  severe  exertion  required  by 
the  long  run,  and  panting  for  breath,  the  two  fugitives  arrived 
in  camp  from  different  points  at  nearly  the  same  time ;  each  be- 
,ing  ignorant  of  the  fate  of  the  other.  Their  story  was  listened 
to  with  eager  ears  and  hearts  desirous  to  avenge  their  fallen 
comrade.  The  officers,  alarmed  lest  the  presence  of  two  Confed 
erates  so  near  the  lines  might  indicate  the  approach  of  an  army, 
resolved  to  guard  against  a  surprise.  A  considerable  force  of 


Adventure  of  Foragers.  447 

cavalry  was  detailed  for  the  purpose  of  reconnoissance  as  well  as 
revenge;  and  divided  into  small  squads,  each  was  assigned  to 
scour  a  certain  portion  of  the  country  around  the  Federal  camp. 

The  column  of  flame  and  smoke  rising  into  the  sky  soon  ap 
prised  those  who  were  forced  to  remain,  inactive,  in  the  camp, 
that  the  barn  where  the  capture  had  taken  place  had  been  burned ; 
while  a  similar  one  near  it,  a  few  moments  afterwards,  showed 
that  the  cavalry  had  found  the  owner  of  the  house  near  by  to 
have  aided  the  Confederates,  and  had  destroyed  his  residence. 

The  body  of  the  soldier  who  had  been  killed  was  duly  convey 
ed  to  camp,  and  buried  with  the  usual  solemnities.  The  two 
Southerners  were  captured,  and,  upon  trial,  were  condemned  to 
death;  but  as  they  were  proved  to  be  regularly  enlisted  soldiers 
in  the  Confederate  States  Army,  at  home  on  a  furlough,  and  as 
retaliation,  in  case  of  their  execution,  was  threatened,  the  sen 
tence  was  set  aside,  and  they  were  held  as  prisoners  of  war. 

Pavy  and  McCune  did  not  long  enjoy  the  freedom  gained  by 
their  swiftness  of  pace,  for  on  the  eighth  of  the  same  month  a 
considerable  part  of  the  division  to  which  they  belonged  was  cap 
tured  by  the  enemy,  and  sent  to  a  military  prison  in  Texas  for 
the  remainder  of  the  war.  As  far  as  we  can  learn,  Privates  Pavy 
and  McCune  were  two  members  of  the  48th  Ohio  Veteran  Yol- 
unteer  Infantry,  who  shared  this  fate, 


DOWN"  HILL. 

Sheridan's  Instructions — Why  the  Feds  "Withdrew — The  Colonel's  Horse — Hunt 
ing  a  Captor — Under  the  Tree — Willing  to  be  Plucked — No  Orderly  There 
—The  Colonel's  Guard— The  Adjutant— An  Affecting  Story— A  Halt— In  the 
Shadow — Obligingly  Forgetful — Boiling  Down  the  Hill — An  Alarming  Bugle 
— Doubt — Yankee  Doodle — With  Friends. 

SHERIDAN  had  been  sent  to  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah 
with  two  words  of  instruction  :  "  Go  in."  He  obeyed,  and 
in  many  a  hot  skirmish  had  given  the  enemy  a  terrible  foretaste 
of  Winchester  and  Cedar  Creek.  In  one  of  these  fierce  brushes 
between  portions  of  brigades,  occurred  a  capture,  with  the  con 
sequences  of  which  we  have  now  to  deal. 

A  regiment  of  cavalry  belonging  to  Sheridan's  command,  had 
fallen  upon  a  Confederate  wagon-train,  expecting,  by  one  wild 
dash,  to  deprive  the  Johnnies  of  their  scanty  supplies  for  many 
a  day  to  come.  But 

"  The  best  laid  plans  of  mice  and  men 
Gang  aft  aglee." 

The  train  was  well  guarded,  and  the  first  charge  met  with  a 

decided  repulse.  Col.  W says  that  they  withdrew  only  to 

acquire  a  greater  impetus  for  a  second  charge;  but  if  so,  their 
motives  were  grievously  misunderstood  by  the  Eebs,  who  came 
hot-foot  after  them. 

But  we  are  narrating  facts,  not  discussing  motives.  The  Fed 
eral  regiment  did  charge  upon  the  Confederates,  and  the  latter 
were  not  beaten  back.  As  the  bluecoats  returned,  with  more  or 
less  rapidity  of  movement,  to  their  original  position,  one  of  the 

bulled  which  were  flying  about  them,  struck  Col.  W 's  horse, 

448 


Down  Hill. 


449 


inflicting  a  mortal  wound.  The  injured  animal  gave  a  leap  for 
ward,  as  if  he  would  fain  have  carried  his  rider  to  a  place  of 
safety,  then  fell  to  the  earth,  carrying  the  officer  with  him.  So 
rapid  was  the  retreat,  so  hot  the  pursuit,  that  before  the  colonel 
could  disengage  his  feet  from  the  stirrups,  he  was  completely 

surrounded  by  the  ene 
my.  Dragging  himself 
from  under  the  mass  of 
flesh  that  had  so  lately 
borne  him,  he  found  that 
he  was  almost  disabled 
by  the  fall.  His  faith 
ful  orderly,  disdaining 
safety  for  himself,  when 
his  colonel  was  in  dan 
ger,  knelt  beside  him. 

A  moment  more,  and 
the  enemy  had  passed, 
leaving  the  two  Feds  in 
the  rear.  A  private,  who 
was  not  so  eager  in  the 
pursuit  as  he  was  curi 
ous  as  to  the  results, 
stopped  a  moment,  and 
proceeded  to  investigate 
by  poking  the  prostrate 
A  Bad  Fall  bluecoat  in  the  ribs. 

"  Quit  that,  will  you?"  growled  the  orderly  ;  "  he  ain't  dead." 
"Ain't  he?     Then  go  to  the  rear,  both  of  you,"  returned  the 
lordly  captor. 

The  orderly  had  drawn  his  arm  through  his  horse's  rein,  and 
thus  kept  the  animal  by  his  side  while  attending  to  the  officer; 
but  of  this  care  he  was  now  relieved  by  their  captor,  who  at  once 
possessed  himself  of  the  charger.  [Repeating  his  command  to 
go  to  the  rear,  the  Heb  rode  gaily  oif,  leaving  them  to  do  as  they 
chose  about  obeying. 

They  had  not  much  choice  in  the  matter,  however,  for  con 
straint  was  only  a  question  of  time.  The  enemy  was  between  them 
and  their  friends ;  they  could  not  hope  to  be  left  where  they 
were,  even  if  the  graycoats  "fell  back  to  gain  an  impetus,"  as 
their  opponents  in  blue  had  done. 


450  Down  Hill. 

"Are  you  hurt  badly,  Colonel?"  asked  the  orderly,  in  a  com 
miserating  tone. 

"  My  leg  seems  to  be  stiff  from  the  horse's  weight  on  it,  and  I 
got  a  pretty  heavy  blow  on  my  head  that  makes  me  dizzy,  but 
there  are  no  bones  broken." 

"Well,  replied  his  companion,  in  a  deliberate  and  business 
like  tone,  "you'd  better  rest  awhile,  for  we  may  have  to  inarch 
soon.  Let  me  help  you  over  to  this  tree;  you  can  lean  against 
it;  and  you'd  better  put  your  watch  and  money  in  your  arm 
pits." 

Slowly  and  with  some  difficulty  the  change  of  place  was  ac 
complished,  and  there  some  slight  attention  was  paid  to  the  offi 
cer's  injuries,  while  the  fresh  breeze,  that  had  just  sprung  up, 
assisted  the  contents  of  his  canteen  in  driving  away  his  faint- 
ness.  His  superior  attended  to,  the  orderly  proceeded  to  accou- 
ter  himself  for  the  fate  which  seemed  inevitable.  His  prepara 
tions  were  brief:  the  removal  of  his  money  and  a  photograph 
from  his  pocket  to  his  belt,  which  he  buckled  inside  of  his  trous 
ers — that  was  all. 

"You'd  better  do  it  as  early  in  the  day  as  you  can,  orderly," 
remarked  the  colonel,  who  had  been  silently  watching  this 
proceeding;  "you'll  be  between  two  fires,  you  know,  and  that 
won't  give  you  a  very  good  chance." 

"  This  is  as  good  a  time  as  any,  I  guess,"  answered  the  satel 
lite,  who  had  not  spoken  a  word  since  giving  his  advice  as  re 
corded;  "or  rather,  it  would  be  if  it  wasn't  for  your  hurt.  It's 
rather  hard  to  leave  you  here,  bound  for  Libby." 

"Don't  mind,"  began  the  officer — when  the  voice  of  remon 
strance  was  drowned  in  a  "  Eebel  yell." 

"Hi!  thar!     Two   Yanks  settin'  agin'  a  tree!" 

"Thought  they  wuz  off,  I  reckon,"  chuckled  the  companion  to 
whom  this  choice  speech,  garnished  as  it  was  by  oaths,  was  ad 
dressed ;  "git  outer  that,  you  !" 

The  prisoners  proceeded  to  obey  this  last  command  by  meek 
ly  arising  and  confronting  their  new  captors. 

"  I'll  take  you  to  the  general — that's  what  I'll  do,"  announced 
the  first:  "now  git,  and  be  right  smart  about  it,  too." 

Neither  of  them  made  any  answer  in  words,  but  the  orderly, 
who  had  reasons  of  his  own  for  so  doing,  submissively  handed 
over  his  revolver.  The  first  Confederate  took  it  without  word 
or  sign  of  acknowledgment.  In  the  same  dumb  show  the  ser- 


Down  Ml.  451 

geant  pulled  his  tobacco  from  his  pocket,  and  proffered  that;  the 
Southerner  gave  a  little  nod  of  thanks  as  his  hand  closed  over  it. 
So  willing  a  giver  must  be  allowed  to  follow  his  bent  to  the  ut 
most,  if  not  compelled  to  do  so;  had  he  been  unwilling,  these 
valuables  would  have  been  taken  by  force. 

"  Take  off  your  boots,"  demanded  the  captor. 

The  Fed  drew  them  off  without  a  word  or  gesture  to  show  that 
he  was  in  the  least  anxious  to  retain  his  foot  coverings,  and,  as 
the  word  of  command  was  given,  cheerfully  trudged  along  bare 
footed.  Col.  W ,  being  an  officer,  was  not  despoiled ;  he  was 

to  be  taken  to  the  "general." 

"  Have  you  anything  to  eat  about  you,  sir?"  asked  the  order 
ly  meekly,  when  they  had  gone  some  little  distance. 

Now,  the  Confederate  belonged  to  that  class  which  the  negroes 
designate  as  "  poor  white  trash."  Because  the  captives  did  not 
belong  to  the  same  class,  he  was  inclined  to  think  they  despised 
him.  The  sergeant's  request,  then,  touched  him  in  a  soft  spot,  as 
it  seemed  to  place  them  on  a  level. 

"  Dunno  but  whut  I  hev,"  he  replied,  rummaging  in  a  haver 
sack,  which  was  the  reverse  of  inviting  in  its  appearance ; 
"which'll  ye  take,  pork  or  bacon  ?" 

"  I  guess  I'll  take  a  bit  of  pork,  if  it's  all  the  same  to  you,"  re 
plied  the  sergeant,  with  polite  hesitation. 

("  Provisions  for  the  woods,"  thought  the  colonel,  approving 
ly  ;  "  he's  won  that  fellow's  heart  completely.") 

"I'd  just  as  lief  you  would,"  returned  the  provider  of  the  feast, 
cordially  ;  "  fur  I'd  ruther  hev  the  bacon  myself." 

The  road  was  becoming  filled  with  straggling  groups  of  sol 
diers,  who  were  now  and  then  scattered  to  right  and  left  by  the 
thundering  of  six-horse  wagons,  sent  to  the  rear  for  safety.  Joy 
fully  Col.  W .  recognized  such  evidences  of  the  defeat  of  his 

captors. 

But  our  friend,  the  orderly,  was  not  yet  left  in  peace;  his  blouse 
and  cap  were  demanded,  so  that  only  his  light  blue  trousers 
remained  to  show  that  he  had  been  clad  in  the  United  States 
uniform.  His  guard  paid  no  attention  to  the  fact  that  he  was 
walking  in  the  dustiest  part  of  a  dry,  much  traveled  road,  though 

Col.  W perceived  that  at  every  step  he  took  the  dust  rose 

knee-high  and  settled  on  his  clothing,  completely  disguising  the 
color  of  the  one  remaining  article  of  his  uniform.     The  officer's 
attention  was  attracted  for  a  moment  in  another  direction  ;  when 
29 


452  Down  Hill. 

he  again  looked  toward  his  late  attendant,  the  familiar  face  was 
not  to  be  seen.  Such  was  the  manner  of  one  man's  escape  from 
durance  vile  in  Libby  Prison. 

Col.W dared  not  look  too  earnestly  in  the  direction  where 

he  had  previously  seen  the  orderly,  lest  he  attract  the  attention 
of  the  guards  to  the  escape.  For  himself,  he  had  decided  to 
wait  until  after  dark,  as  he  thought  the  chances  would  be  more 
favorable.  Avoiding  the  town  of  Winchester  by  a  slight  de 
tour,  the  guards  conducted  all  shoulder-strapped  prisoners  to  the 
office  of  the  provost-marshal,  a  mile  beyond  that  place.  Here 
they  were  assigned  to  the  care  of  a  young  officer,  who,  for  two 
years,  had  been  employed  in  the  safe  duty  of  conducting  prison 
ers  to  Bichmond.  From  this  new  representative  of  the  Con 
federacy  Col.  W obtained  the  honor  of  a  special  guard,  a  ser 
geant  having  presented  the  officer  with  a  new  pair  of  gloves,  of 
which  a  private  had  attempted  to  despoil  him. 

For  some  time  the  prisoner  made  no  move  toward  conciliating 
the  sergeant;  perhaps  he  was  overwhelmed  by  the  honor;  but 
we  are  inclined  to  think  that  he  was  profiting  by  the  example 
of  his  orderly.  At  any  rate  he  said  nothing  until  they  had  been 
half  an  hour  or  so  on  the  way. 

"  Pretty  brisk  rate  we  are  marching  at,  isn't  it,  sergeant  ?"  he 
asked  at  length. 

"  Bight  smart  pace,"  was  the  brief  reply. 

"  I  am  not  familiar  enough  with  the  uniforms  in  your  army  to 
tell  whether  you  belong  to  the  infantry  or  cavalry/'  remarked 
the  Fed. 

Now  this  was  a  piece  of  the  finest  sarcasm,  for  at  that  stage  of 
the  war,  the  Confederate  "uniform"  was  whatever  the  individ 
ual  chanced  to  possess;  and  the  sergeant's  clothes  were  so  torn 
and  patched,  that  it  would  have  puzzled  a  Philadelphia  lawyer 
to  have  told  the  original  texture  and  hue  of  his  garments.  But 
the  sergeant  swallowed  it  all. 

"I  belong  to  the  infantry,"  he  answered  gravely;  "Thir 
teenth  Virginia;  but  I  have  a  good  deal  of  duty  on  horseback." 

The  Beb  thus  gave  him  to  understand  that  any  consideration 
due  to  either  branch  of  the  service  was  due  to  him  as  the  rep 
resentative  of  both,  and  Col.  TV so  understood  it. 

"  Will  you,  then,  accept  of  my  spurs  ?  I  don't  suppose  I  shall 
have  any  use  for  them  for  many  a  long  month." 

"I'm  detailed  to  the  provost-marshal,"  he  replied,  accepting 


Down  Hill.  453 

the  spurs  graciously.  "  They  don't  treat  a  fellow  very  well 
down  at  Libby." 

"Were  you  ever  taken  prisoner,  sergeant?'7  asked  the  colon 
el,  with  elaborate  care  to  give  the  title  due  to  his  guard's  mili- 
itary  rank. 

"Onct,"  was  the  curt  reply. 

"  Well,  now,  you  can  have  your  revenge,  in  treating  me  as  you 
were  treated,  replied  the  officer,  nonchalantly. 

The  Reb  made  no  answer,  but  marched  stolidly  onward  j  and 
Col.  W turned  his  head  and  looked  about  him  with  appar 
ent  carelessness.  At  his  side  walked  another  prisoner,  the  ad 
jutant  of  his  own  regiment;  but  no  sign  of  recognition  had 
passed  between  them,  for  fear  that  they  might  be  separated. 

"  Speak  little,  and  to  the  point,"  muttered  Col.  W ,  slow 
ly,  his  face  turned  straight  forward. 

"  Before  dark,  or  after  ?"  asked  the  adjutant,  in  the  same  tone. 

"After,"  replied  the  colonel. 

Then  for  a  long  time  they  had  no  more  to  say  to  each  other. 

Perhaps  an  hour  had  passed,  when  Col.  W again  thought  it 

safe  to  communicate  with  his  friend. 

"  Got  a  compass?" 

"No,  I've  been  robbed  of  everything." 

"  Take  mine,  then,  quick." 

The  adjutant  shook  his  head,  but  the  colonel  extended  the 
compass,  and  there  was  no  choice  but  to  take  it.  By  thus  assist 
ing  the  friend  who  knew  less  about  astronomy,  our  hero  was 
left  without  a  valuable  guide  through  the  wilderness  of  trees 
about  him;  but  with  no  thought  of  that,  he  gave  a  few  hasty 
words  of  advice  as  to  the  direction  in  which  to  travel,  and  said 
no  more. 

"  But  you —  ?"  began  the  adjutant,  a  slight  tremor  in  his  voice. 

Col.  W turned  toward  his  fellow-prisoner,  and  looked 

over  his  head  into  vacancy.  The  other,  seeing  that  there  was  to 
be  no  further  conversation,  plunged  deep  into  meditation  as  to 
the  best  manner  of  escape. 

The  road  along  which  they  were  traveling  was  a  deep  cut  be 
tween  high  yellow  clay  banks,  above  which  rose  the  over-arch 
ing  trees.  Here  was  no  chance  to  drop  out  of  the  ranks  as  the 

orderly  had  done,  and  Col.  "VY had  just  settled  his  mind  to 

.the  monotony  of  the  tramp,  when  much  to  his  surprise,  the  Con 
federate  sergeant  spoke: 


454  Down  Hill. 

"I  was  captured  in  Mar'land." 

"  Before  Gettysburg  ?"  asked  the  prisoner,  with  equal  brevity, 

The  man  nodded. 

"  And  how  were  you  treated?"  ventured  the  Federal. 

"  Mighty  well,  considerin' ." 

"I'm  glad  to  hear  it,"  rejoined  the  other. 

"  I  laid  two  months  in  the  hospital  at  Frederick.  'Twant  when 
Uncle  Bob  Lee  took  that  trip  of  his'n,  but  in  '62,  at  Boonsboro. 
I  was  shot,  an'  a  Yank  war  shot — me  in  the  hip,  an'  him  in  the 
lungs.  He  spit  blood  when  he  called  out  for  water,  as  he  laid 
there  by  me." 

"And  you  —  ?" 

"I  said  :  'Here's  water,  Yank;'  an'  then  I  rolled  over  an'  guv 
him  my  canteen  to  drink  out  of;  there  war  jest  a  drop  left  in  it. 
1  I'm  a  goin'  to  die.'  says  he  ;  '  Yes,'  says  I ;  'an'  says  he  :  'I  hope 
you'll  live  to  get  home  ;  they'll  take  you  to  the  hospital  an'  treat 
you  well,'  says  he.  '  Thank  you,'  says  I ;  then  he  pulled  out 
his  terbacker  an'  a  roll  of  money,  an'  guv  it  to  me.  An'  then  he 
died." 

Col.  W looked  at  the  rough,  uneducated  fellow  beside  him 

who  told  with 'such  rude  pathos  of  that  scene  on  the  battlefield  , 
and  mutely  wondered  what  was  the  sequel  to  it. 

"Poor  fellow  !"  he  sighed,  in  audible  reply  at  last;  "there's 
many  a  thoughtful,  generous  heart  stilled  by  a  bullet." 

"  Ef  it  war  only  the  good-fur-nothin' creeters  that  wuz  killed, 
we  might  stand  it,"  returned  the  sergeant,  philosophically;  "but 
it  ain't.  Now  I  want  to  give  back  some  of  that  money  to  you." 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  drew  forth  a  small  roll  of 
bills — the  dead  "  Yankee's"  last  month's  pay. 

"  To  me?"  exclaimed  the  colonel,  in  surprise. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  Eeb,  "  'taint  mine,  you  see;  its  his'n;  an'  he 
meant  it  for  poor  fellows  in  prison.  You'll  need  it  down  there." 

Gratefully  Col.  W accepted  the  offered  money,  and  then 

and  there  registered  an  unspoken  vow  to  return  it  at  the  earliest 
possible  opportunity  to  some  "poor  fellow  in  prison,"  be  he 
friend  or  foe." 

"There's  one  thing,  though,"  he  said  to  the  guard,  "I  wish  you'd 
do  for  me.  Won't  you  take  my  watch  and  keep  it  for  me?  It's 
sure  to  be  taken  away  from  me  if  you  don't." 

"Don't  care  if  I  do,"  answered  the  gray-jacket;  and  com 
plied  with  the  request. 


Down  Hill.  455 

About  half-past  six  came  the  order  to  halt.  They  had  now 
emerged  from  that  narrow  cut,  though  still  in  the  woods.  As 
they  stood  huddled  together,  the  prisoners  surrounded  by  a  ring 
of  soldiers,  the  wagons  lumbering  past  them,  a  new  hope  arose 
in  the  heart  of  more  than  one  captive.  Surely,  since  the  prisoners 
were  halted  to  let  the  wagons  pass,  there  must  be  a  fast  and  furi 
ous  pursuit.  The  Confederates  could  better  afford  to  lose  their 
prisoners  than  their  stores;  so  they  were  putting  in  a  place  of 
safety  that  which  they  valued  most. 

Falling  into  line  again  after  a  number  of  teams  had  passed 

them,  the  party  of  which  Col.  W was  one  soon  emerged  from 

the  woods,  and  marched  between  open  meadows.  Up  a  slight 
ascent  they  passed,  halting  a  second  time  on  the  brow  of  a  low 
ridge.  With  anxious  eyes  our  hero  peered  through  the  gather 
ing  darkness,  to  see  what  chance  awaited  him.  Ho  had  not  seen 
the  adjutant  for  some  time,  so  that  he  felt  assured  of  his  escape. 
Now  was  the  time  to  make  good  his  own,  for  they  would  soon  be 
so  far  within  the  Rebel  lines  as  to  make  the  attempt  a  hundred 
times  more  hazardous.  The  night  was  a  cloudy  one,  and  the 
warm,  damp  air  had  brought  double  weariness  upon  them. 

The  prisoners  were  some  thirty  yards  from  the  roadside,  the 
guards  being  posted  here  and  there,  so  as  to  encircle  them  as 
nearly  as  the  comparative  numbers  of  captives  and  captors  would 
permit.  There  were  no  fences;  all  fence-rails  had  long  since  fed 
camp-fires.  Here  and  there  a  tree  stood  blackly  outlined  against 
the  dark  sky  ;  and  on  the  very  summit  of  the  slight  elevation 
which  they  had  ascended,  was  a  thick,  low  clump  of  bushes,  per 
haps  five  feet  high.  Col.  W was  nearer  to  these  bushes  than 

any  one  else;  his  especial  guard  was  within  arm's  length  of  him  : 
there  was  no  other  Southerner  less  than  twenty  yards  away. 

Would  the  sergeant  be  watchful?  That  was  the  problem  which 
time  alone  could  solve.  If  he  were,  there  was  of  course  no 
chance;  if  he  were  not — oh,  if  only  he  would  relax  his  vigilance ! 

With  the  wisdom  of  the  serpent,  whom  he  was  soon  to  emulate 
in  another  particular.  Col.  W had  spoken  of  extreme  drow 
siness.  He  had  walked  sleepily  along,  occasionally  nodding  as 
they  made  a  momentary  halt.  What  could  be  more  natural,  then, 
than  that  he  should  lie  down  on  the  long,  dry  grass  on  the  top  of 
the  ridge,  and  take  a  nap  ?  Certainly  his  guard  did  not  raise  any 
objections,  but  went  off,  seeing  the  prisoner  safely  asleep,  to 
speak  to  some  of  his  comrades.  Before  he  was  half-a-dozen  yards 


456  Down  Bill 

away  the  "sleeping"  man  had  rolled,  unconsciously  of  course,  in 
to  the  shadow  of  the  bushes.  The  sergeant  did  his  errand  ;  and 
sauntered  back  with  the  air  of  a  man  who  was  "  off  duty;"  and 
Col.  "W rolled  a  little  farther  into  the  shadows  of  the  bushes. 

"If  I  am  found  here,"  he  reasoned,  "it  will  not  excite  any  es 
pecial  remark.  Did  I  not  tell  him  I  was  sleepy  ?  And  is  not  a 
sleeping  man  apt  to  roll  about?  No,  if  I  am  found,  it  will  not  ap 
pear  that  I  was  trying  to  escape  and  thus  the  result  will  not  be 
a  diminution  of  favor." 

The  remainder  of  the  wagons  passed  them  while  they  were 
halted  here  on  this  ridge;  and  after  a  rest  of  about  an  hour,  the 
command  was  given  to  move  onward.  Wearily  they  took  up  the 
march  through  the  dark  September  night,  guards  and  prisoners 
alike  fatigued  by  the  day's  fight  and  the  succeeding  tramp.  The 

sergeant  who  had  been  appointed  as  Col.  "W 's  keeper  had  his 

own  proper  duties  to  look  after;  the  others  were  content  to  sur 
round  what  prisoners  they  saw,  since  none  could  have  escaped 
through  the  cordon  of  Confederates,  down  the  slope  of  a  hill  bar 
ren  ofshelter. 

The  slumberer  in  the  shadow  of  the  bushes  was  not  so  fast 
asleep  butthat  he  heard  the  commands  to  proceed  ;  nor  was  he 
deaf  to  the  stir  of  departure.  Almost  breathlessly  he  lay  there, 
fearful  lest  the  breeze,  rustling  through  the  leaves,  should  sound 
to  them  like  the  movements  of  a  concealed  prisoner.  At  last 
they  had  set  off;  the  sergeant  had  been  obligingly  forgetful;  and 
the  sound  of  their  footsteps  was  lost  in  the  multitudinous  noises 
of  the  night. 

Troops  were  still  traveling  along  the  road,  and  even  when  the 
rearguard  had  passed,  there  would  be  plenty  of  stragglers.  To 
make  matters  worse,  the  clouds  were  now  passing  away,  and 
though  there  was  no  moon,  any  figure  might  be  seen  when  out 
lined  against  the  clear,  dark  sky.  When  he  had  once  left  the 
shelter  of  this  clump  of  bushes,  he  would  be  seen  as  soon  as  he 
raised  himself  to  his  feet.  Put  the  hill  between  himself  and  the 
road  he  dared  not,  for  the  country  was  wholly  strange  to  him, 
and  he  could  only  hope  to  be  assured  of  reaching  his  destination 
by  retracing  the  steps  he  had  taken  during  the  day.  The  road 
must,  at  all  hazards,  be  kept  in  view ;  but  there  was  an  equal 
necessity  for  concealing  himself  from  those  who  were  traveling 
along  the  road. 

Removing  jacket  and  cap,  the  Federal  benevolently  left  them 


Down  Hill. 


457 


for  any  one  who  might  chance  to  find  them.  His  money,  includ 
ing  the  sergeant's  gift,  was  fastened  securely  in  his  waistband. 
His  handkerchief  was  bound  about  his  head.  Then  holding  his 
arms  straight  at  his  side,  and  stretching  himself  at  full  length 
upon  the  grass,  he  began  the  descent. 

"Boiling  oif  a  log,"  may  be  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world,  but 
our  escaping  prisoner  found  rolling  down  a  hill  neither  easy  nor 
pleasant.  Straws  and  peb 
bles  are  trifles  under  or 
dinary  circumstances,  but 
ground  into  the  flesh,  or 
slipping  between  the  cloth 
ing  and  the  skin,  they  are 
not  so.  Another  difficulty 
lay  in  the  tendency  of  the 
head  to  revolve  around  the 
body,  making  it  almost  im 
possible  for  W •  to  keep 

the  even  tenor  of  his  way, 
parallel  to  the  high  road. 

But  even  this  plan,  fraught 
as  it  was  with  difficulties 
and  discomforts,  was  not 
feasible  for  the  whole  time. 
Although,  as  we  have  said, 
fences  were  in  that  section 
of  the  country  a  thing  of 
the  past,  there  were  other 
methods  of  dividing  from 


each  other  the  various  fields 
on  that  long  slope.    Here 


Rough  Rolling. 

was  a  ditch,  through  which  the  waters  of  a  little  stream  that 
once  flowed  along  the  tortuous  course  of  yonder  ravine,  had 
been  guided  for  a  boundary  line.  That  same  ravine,  with  its  dry 
and  rocky  bed,  presented  much  the  same  difficulty.  On  reach 
ing  such  an  obstacle,, he  must,  perforce,  quit  the  sheltering  arms 
of  earth  for  a  moment,  and,  gathering  all  his  powers  for  the 
effort,  leap  to  the  other  side. 

The  interposition  of  a  hedge  was  even  a  greater  discourage 
ment;  but  though  torn  and  bleeding  from  his  encounter  with  it,  he 
managed  at  last  to  pass  it.  He  was  soon  obliged  to  give  up,  for 


458  Down  Hill. 

a  time  at  least,  his  purpose  of  rolling,  for  his  arms  became  so 
crushed  as  to  make  him  doubt  if  he  ever  would  regain  the  use  of 
them.  To  escape  from  the  danger  of  Libby  was  much,  but  to  be 
thus  maimed  for  life  was  no  small  thing.  As  a  variety  in  the 
mode  of  proceeding,  then,  he  lay  flat  on  the  ground,  face  down 
ward,  and  by  extending  his  arms  and  then  contracting  all  his 
muscles,  managed  to  hump  himself  along  in  a  style  certainly  the 
reverse  of  graceful,  and  extremely  suggestive  of  the  most  subtle 
of  the  beasts  of  the  field. 

At  last,  after  weary  hours  of  this  toilsome  journeying,  the  base 
of  the  long  slope  was  reached.  Here  in  the  rich  soil  of  the  val 
ley  was  a  closer  growth  both  of  trees  and  underwood,  and  Col. 

"W was  at  last  able  to  assume  an  erect  position.  Having  once 

more  the  use  of  his  feet,  he  was  able  to  make  better  time,  and  in 
little  more  than  an  hour  had  made  more  progress  than  in  six 
times  the  period  during  the  night. 

The  cool  air  grew  gray  with  the  approach  of  dawn.  Still  the 
road  was  near  him,  but  on  it  he  dared  not  yet  venture.  Sudden 
ly  through  the  stillness  of  the  early  morning  broke  a  bugle-note, 
mellowed  and  softened  by  the  distance.  Who  were  the  horsemen 
who  were  thus  summoned  ?  Were  they  long-delayed  Confeder 
ates,  or  were  they  advancing  Federals  ?  Hardly  the  latter,  for 
the  road  was  not  yet  clear  of  stragglers  ;  and  still — why  should 
any  gray-jackets  be  so  far  in  the  rear  of  the  retreating  forces  ? 
Could  it  be  that  after  all  he  had  become  confused  in  the  dark 
ness,  and  followed  a  branch  of  the  road  which  should  have  been 
his  guide — a  branch  that  led  into  the  enemy's  certain  grasp? 

Worn  out  by  the  exertions  of  the  night  following  those  of  the 
day,  and  faint  for  lack  of  food  (he  had  not  tasted  any  for  seven 
teen  hours)  he  was  almost  ready  to  believe  in  this  last  horrible 
conjecture.  At  any  rate,  he  could  not,  by  any  certain  recollec 
tion  to  the  contrary,  disprove  his  own  fears. 

When  'he  had  first  heard  the  bugle,  he  had  dropped  instinct 
ively  behind  the  huge  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree,  which  lay  some  thir 
ty  feet  from  the  roadside.  Here,  applying  his  ear  to  the  earth, 
he  learned  that  a  party  of  men  had  halted  not  far  off,  and  were 
making  a  fire.  This  last  he  inferred,  from  the  fact  that  he  heard 
the  chopping  and  breaking  of  branches.  Again  the  bugle  sound 
ed,  sharp  and  clear,  but  no  horsemen  appeared  in  answer  to  the 

summons.      Cautiously  Col.   W left   his   hiding-place   and 

crept  in  the  direction  of  the  noises.     It  had  been  raining  for 


Down  Hill.  459 

the  last  few  hours,  and  the  earth  was  thoroughly  soaked,  the 
branches  dripping.  Slowly  he  made  his  way  towards  the  fire, 
and  succeeded  in  reaching,  unobserved,  a  point  which  was  near 
enough  for  him  to  see  those  around  it.  There  were  but  two, 
the  bugler  and  one  other;  but  even  the  sight  of  these  did  not 
remove  his  doubts.  Those  felt  hats  were  not  distinctive,  nor 
were  the  ponchos  which  covered  them  from  the  rain.  A  long 
time  he  waited  for  some  clear  view  of  their  uniforms.  At  last, 
worn  out  by  the  trials  of  the  night,  and  knowing  that  at  any 
rate  he  must  be  discovered  when  the  bugle-call  was  obeyed  by 
the  others  of  the  party,  he  had  almost  made  up  his  mind  to  sur 
render  himself.  His  bruised  and  aching  body,  he  felt  assured, 
could  not  endure  much  more. 

But  no  ;  there  was  yet  a  chance,  even  if  these  did  prove  to  be 
Confederates;  weary  and  sore  as  he  was,  he  made  shift  to  con- 
ceal  himself  in  the  upper  branches  of  the  tree  behind  which  he 
had  been  standing.  Here  he  might,  at  any  rate,  remain  unob 
served;  and  here  he  would  stay  through  the  day,  if  these  were 
not — 

Hark  !  the  bugle-blast  again  !  And  following  the  call  came  a 
few  notes,  harsh  and  loud  to  other  ears,  but  the  sweetest  music 
to  our  fugitive — the  opening  measures  of  Yankee  Doodle.  It 
was  indeed  a  scouting  party  of  Sheridan's  that  was  to  assemble 
here  for  a  hasty  breakfast.  They  had  been  riding  all  night, 
and  their  delay  in  obeying  the  summons  was  not  due  to  any  lack 
of  appetite.  But  he  who  ate  the  coarse  fare  and  drank  the  black 
coffee  with  most  relish,  was  one  who  had  not  set  out  with  them; 
an  unexpected,  but  not  an  unwelcome  guest;  for  in  those  days 
a  man  who  escaped  from  Libby  or  Andersonville,  or  even  the 
shadow  of  them,  was  welcomed  as  was  the  Prodigal  Son,  with 
the  fat  of  the  land. 


CHAPTER  7J-4Y- 


A  CAPTIVE  "TIGER." 

Situation  of  the  Armies — Lee's  Invasion  of  Pennsylvania — Battle  of  Gettysburg 
—The  Tiger  Caught— The  Tiger  Caged— Life  at  Fort  Delaware— Two  Souls 
With  But  a  Single  Thought— The  Life  Preservers— The  Galvanized— Under 
the  Carpenter-Shop— An  Indulgent  Sentry — The  Iron-Glads  Tested— Success. 

ANEW  constellation  had  arisen  in  the  political  sky — a 
group  of  eleven  stars,  each  one  symbolizing  a  sovereign 
State  in  arms  for  the  defense  of  her  sovereignty.  It  rose  rap 
idly  at  first,  then  more  slowly;  until,  in  the  first  months  of  the 
year  1863,  it  seemed  higher  than  that  other  constellation,  which 
now  numbers  thirty-eight  stars.  In  plain  English,  at  this  time 
it  was  thought  probable  that  the  Confederate  States  would  se 
cure  the  independence  for  which  they  were  battling  with  all 
their  might. 

But  now  their  fortunes  began  to  decline;  and  the  national 
anniversary  of  1863,  while  it  saw  a  thousand  homes  in  mourn 
ing,  saw  also  a  double  thanksgiving  for  victory.  The  lightning 
had  flashed  it  over  the  country;  Gettysburg  and  Yicksburg, 
North  and  South,  both  beheld  the  Stars  and  Stripes  waving  tri 
umphantly ;  the  stars  and  bars,  shot-riddled  and  blood-stained 
as  the  rival  banner,  but  furled  in  token  of  defeat. 

Two  years  the  result  had  trembled  in  the  balance;  for  two 
years  longer  hope  was  to  predominate  over  fear  in  the  minds 
of  those  who  watched,  with  anxious  eyes,  the  wavering  fortunes 
of  the  whole  country.  Here,  at  this  turning-point,  let  us  pause 
a  moment,  living  over  again  those  days  of  conflict  in  reading  the 
story  of  one  of  the  soldiers. 

Early  in  May  of  this  year,  the  Confederate  generals  had  re- 

460 


A  Captive  "Tiger."  461 

solved  upon  carrying  the  war  into  the  enemy's  country.  Yir- 
ginia  and  other  Southern  States  had  long  been  devastated  by 
the  invading  armies,  and  impoverished  by  the  necessity  of  sus 
taining  both  forces.  The  Confederacy  must  be  partly  relieved 
of  the  burden  thus  laid  upon  her,  and  the  Northern  States  made 
to  bear  it.  Chancellorville  was  the  first  battle  of  the  campaign 
begun  with  this  end  in  view,  but  it  had  brought  no  decisive  ad 
vantage  to  either  side;  for  whatever  the  South  might  have 
gained,  was  lost  when  Stonewall  Jackson  died. 

Lee  moved  cautiously  and  slowly  northward,  his  army  of  one 
hundred  thousand  men  proceeding  by  various  routes  toward  the 
Potomac.  The  three  divisions  under  Ewell,  Longstreet  and  A. 
P.  Hill  united  at  Hagerstown,  Md.,  and  prepared  to  march  upon 
Harrisburg.  But  every  movement  was  closely  watched  by  the 
enemy  in  whose  country  they  were.  The  concentration  of  the 
Confederate  forces  rendered  an  attack  an  unwise  move  for  the 
Federal  generals  until  their  own  forces  should  be  similarly  uni 
ted,  and,  for  the  time  being,  Gen.  Meade  contented  himself  with 
efforts  to  intercept  the  supplies  of  the  invading  forces  and  har- 
rass  the  rear. 

To  the  Virginian  general  it  was  clear  that  he  must  dispose  of 
Meade  before  the  object  of  this  campaign  could  be  accomplished. 
He  ordered  a  concentration  of  his  forces,  which  had  again  separ 
ated  after  their  meeting  at  Hagerstown,  fixing  the  place  for  this 
near  G-ettysburg.  Not  until  the  Confederates  were  within  six 
miles  of  the  town  did  they  discover  that  the  enemy  was  in  pos 
session  of  it. 

A  mile  or  so  to  the  south  of  the  town  is  an  eminence  called 
Gulp's  Hill.  Curving  to  the  west,  and  then  running  south,  is  a 
continuation  of  this  elevation,  now  famous  as  Cemetery  Ridge; 
terminating  in  Little  Round  Top  and  Round  Top.  Rocky  ledges 
and  stone  walls  had  here  made  a  natural  rampart,  and  the  Fed 
eral  forces  added  to  these  defenses  such  breastworks  as  might 
be  hastily  thrown  up.  On  the  ridge  to  the  north-west,  a  mile 
and  a  half  away,  were  the  Confederates,  sheltered  by  the  trees 
which  clothed  the  sides  of  the  slope.  Gold  and  green  the  grain 
fields  and  meadows  lay  between  the  opposing  armies;  the  thirst}?" 
cattle  waded  knee-deep  into  the  pasture-pools  and  streams,  and 
stood  placidly  chewing  their  cud,  and  gazing  with  large  calm 
eyes  upon  the  surrounding  verdure. 

Such  was  the  scene  upon  which  the  roar  of  the  cannon,  the 


462  A  Captive  "Tiger." 

crack  of  musketry,  and  the  thunder  of  hoofs  broke  that  sum 
mer  morning.  All  day  long  the  battle  raged  ;  and  at  night  the 
combatants  slept  on  their  arms.  The  next  morning  all  were 
eager  for  the  fray;  the  Confederates,  to  pursue  the  advantage 
which  they  had  gained  ;  the  Federals  to  retrieve  the  loss  of 
ground  which  they  had  suffered. 

As  the  sailor  sweeps  the  horizon  with  his  glass,  and  finally 
fixes  it  upon  some  one  point;  so,  having  thus  briefly  viewed  this 
great  battle-field,  we  turn  our  attention  to  one  portion  of  it,  to 
one  obscure  actor  in  that  mighty  scene. 

Among  all  the  regiments  that  took  part  on  either  side,  there 
was  none  in  which  the  esprit  du  corps  was  more  fully  developed 
than  in  a  certain  Louisiana  command  which,  by  its  readiness  to 
fight  on  any  and  all  occasions,  had  won  for  itself  the  honorable 
soubriquet  of  the  "  Tigers."  And  very  proud  they  were  of  thi? 
nickname  ;  so  proud,  that  many  accused  them  of  choosing  it  for 
themselves. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  they  well  deserved  it.  Tigers  in  battle,  un- 
tamably  fierce  when  aroused  by  the  sight  of  blood  ;  when  the 
fight  was  over,  they  were  once  more  men,  ready  to  succor,  not 
only  their  comrades,  but  their  wounded  foes. 

Our  hero,  whom  we  will  call  X ,  was  a  private  in  this  com 
mand.  Charging  with  his  comrades  up  the  slopes  of  Cemetery 
Heights,  he  fell,  wounded.  The  tide  of  battle  had  not  yet  turn 
ed  against  the  Confederates  ;  and  while  the  Tigers  dashed  up 
ward  and  onward  toward  the  cannon-crowed  summit,  tender, 
yet  strong  hands  bore  the  injured  from  the  field.  A  rude  apol 
ogy  for  a  hospital  was  situated  at  the  rear  of  the  Confederate  po 
sition;  provided,  doubtless,  with  bedding  from  the  stores  of 
many  a  careful  housewife  who  would  far  rather  have  given  it  to 
the  other  side.  To  this  X was  borne  ;  his  wound  was  dress 
ed,  and  for  two  days  and  nights  he  lay,  helplessly  wondering 
what  was  to  come  next. 

On  the  4th,  the  battle  had  been  ended;  the  tide  had  turned, 
and  the  invasion  was  repelled.  And  now  our  wounded  hero  felt 
himself  not  too  severely  injured  to  join  in  the  retreat.  Hope  of 
exchange  there  was  none;  if  he  were  captured,  he  must  not  ex 
pect  to  rejoin  his  command.  At  his  earnest  entreaty,  then,  a 
comrade  secured  him  a  horse,  and  though  scarcely  able  to  keep 
his  seat  in  the  saddle,  the  dread  of  a  military  prison  kept  up  his 
strength. 


A  Captive  "  Tiger?'  463 

The  spirit  was  willing,  but  the  flesh  was  weak  ;  and  when,  at 
Waterloo,  Maryland,  his  horse  broke  down,  he  gave  up  hope  of 
reaching  Virginia  again.  Fortunately  for  him,  however,  as  he 
thought,  the  generosity  of  a  messmate  who  had,  like  himself, 
been  wounded  in  the  battle,  gave  him  a  "lift,"  and  riding  double 
on  the  old  cavalry  hack  with  which  the  other  was  provided,  and 
which  was  not  quite  so  far  gone  as  X 's,  they  reached  a  hav 
en  of  safety — the  camp,  for  the  night,  of  the  wagon-train  of  the 
Confederates. 

The  guard  had  been  on  the  march  for  many  hours,  and  the 
men  were  thoroughly  worn  out.  "With  all  care,  however,  senti 
nels  were  posted,  and  the  safety  of  the  bivouac,  apparently,  se 
cured.  But  the  Yanks,  though  equally  tired  by  marching  and 
fighting,  were  chasing  a  retreating  enemy;  their  energy,  then, 
was  more  unwearied  than  that  of  the  dejected,  defeated  Confed 
erates.  Perhaps  the  sentinels  slept;  perhaps  they  were  seized 
and  overpowered  before  they  could  g;ve  the  alarm;  at  any  rate, 
in  the  "wee,  sma'  hours"  of  that  midsummer  morning,  the  blue- 
coats  made  a  sudden  dash  upon  the  camp.  The  guard  defended 
the  wagons  as  well  as  they  could  ;  the  teamsters  hastily  made 
ready  to  continue  the  retreat.  For  some  moments  the  fight  was 
a  sharp  one;  then  the  Confederates  were  driven  from  their 
camp,  and  the  victorious  Federals  remained  in  possession.  They 
had  captured  fifty  of  the  wagons,  and  taken  many  prisoners; 
among  the  latter  was  our  friend  X . 

But  the  attacking  party  was  in  the  midst  of  dangers  too  great 
for  prudence  to  encounter;  what  they  feared  most  was  the  loss 
of  their  booty,  so,  releasing  their  prisoners  on  parole,  they  hast 
ily  returned  to  the  main  body.  X crept  to  a  little  deserted 

school-house  near  the  lino  of  march,  and  lay  there  until  morning, 
when  his  resting-place  was  discovered  by  another  party  of  Fed 
erals.  The  officer  in  command  laughed  at  his  parole  as  useless, 
and  sent  him,  with  others  in  the  same  plight,  to  the  care  of  a  sur 
geon  at  Waynesborough,  Pa.  Here  and  at  Harrisburg,  to  which 
city  he  was  soon  removed,  he  was  treated  with  much  kindness  ; 
both  by  those  in  charge  of  the  hospital  and  by  the  ladies  who 
made  a  point  of  visiting  the  wounded,  whether  friend  or  foe. 

But  a  removal  to  Fort  Delaware,  as  so.on  as  his  wound  was 
healed,  brought  him  to  prison  life  in  earnest.  How  they  shiver 
ed  in  the  barracks  where  the  wind  whistled  through  the  crevices 
as  through  the  rigging  of  a  ship,  and  the  snow  drifted  in  every- 


464  A  Captive  "Tiger." 

where ;  how  they  longed  that  more  than  five  gallons  of  beans 
might  be  allowed  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  gallons  of  water,  in 
making  the  soup,  of  which  each  man  received  a  cup  daily; 
how  they  mourned  when,  by  way  of  punishment  for  some  gen 
eral  offense,  the  ration  of  fifteen  ounces  of  bread  was  cut  down 
one-half;  how,  the  morning  of  that  New-Year's  day,  which  is  pro 
verbial  throughout  the  country  for  the  sudden  severity  of  cold, 
they  crowded  about  the  stoves,  three  hundred  men  around  each 
fire,  with  but  a  wheel-barrow-load  of  coal  to  last  through  the 
twenty-four  hours  ;  how  they  cursed  the  capriciousness  of  their 
captors,  when  an  order  that  had  allowed  them  to  write  to  friends 
or  relatives  for  money  or  clothing  would  be  rescinded  before  an 
answer  could  be  received,  and  the  supplies  thus  sent  would  be 
confiscated  on  their  arrival  at  the  prison — on  these  things  we 
will  not  dwell,  lest  our  story  be  too  long. 

But  all  these  things  sank  deep  into  our  Tiger's  heart,  as  he 
heard  the  vague  rumors  of  battle  that  pierced  even  the  prison 
walls  ;  and  he  longed  with  all  his  heart  to  be  once  more  with  the 
army.  As  he  slowly  paced  the  scant  limit  of  ground  allowed 
for  exercise,  one  bright  day  in  early  June,  a  companion  in  mis 
ery  accosted  him. 

"  You  look  like  you've  lost  your  best  friend  and  could  not  go 
to  the  funeral,  X ,"  he  said.  "  What's  the  matter  ?" 

"  Matter  enough,"  replied  the  Louisianian,  gloomily,  as  his 
eyes  rested  upon  the  blue  blouse  of  the  guard  ;  "  to  think  of  a 
year  ago,  and" — 

"Be  careful,"  interrupted  the  other,  "if  ever  you  mean  to 
make  your  regrets  bear  fruit." 

This  was  said  with  a  warning  glance  at  the  sentry,  who  was 
looking  in  their  direction  as  if  interested  in  their  conversation. 

X said  nothing  in  reply,  but  having  reached  the  limit  of 

his  walk,  turned.  A  glance  had  assured  his  companion  that 
there  was  more  to  be  said  on  that  subject.  As  they  came  to  a 
bench,  sufficiently  far  from  the  sentinel  to  be  out  of  hearing, 
X sank  upon  it,  and  motioned  his  companion  to  a  seat  be 
side  him. 

"What  did  you  mean?"  he  asked  eagerly;  "what  did  you 
mean  by  regrets  bearing  fruit?" 

His  companion,  whom  we  will  call  B ,  looked  nonchalant 
ly  about  him,  nodded  to  a  comrade  across  the  yard,  and  fjnally 
answered: 


A  Captive  "Tiger."  465 

"  Don't  seem  too  much  excited  about  it,  or  you  will  be  sure  to 
attract  suspicion  ;  but  can't  we  contrive  some  plan  to  get  out  of 
this  place?" 

"  What  kind  of  a  plan?"  asked  X ,  helplessly,  being  half- 
bewildered  by  the  business  tone  in  which  his  companion  spoke. 

"  D — n  it,  if  I  knew,  I  wouldn't  be  here/',  replied  B ,  with 

a  short  laugh.  Then  he  turned  to  speak  to  a  fellow-prisoner 
who  chanced  to  be  passing;  and  not  another  word  would  he 
speak  on  the  subject  that  day. 

X had  not  dared  to  express  to  any  one  his  long  cherished 

hope  of  effecting  an  escape,  for  it  seemed  so  forlorn  as  to  be 
worthy  only  of  ridicule.  Here  was  a  comrade,  however,  to 
whom  he  need  not  fear  to  unfold  his  inmost  heart,  and  with  new 
zest  he  set  to  work  to  think  out  a  path  to  freedom. 

Various  plans  that  he  had  canvassed  in  his  own  mind  and  re 
jected  as  impracticable  were  reconsidered,  but  not  one  of  them 

seemed  to  suit  the  requirements.     And  B 's  avoidance  of  a 

private  confab  prevented  any  discussion.  'Not  until  the  after 
noon  of  the  day  after  that  on  which  the  subject  had  been  broach 
ed  did  they  again  have  an  opportunity. 

"  Have  you  thought  of  a  plan  ?"  asked  B ,  looking  cautious 
ly  about  him. 

"  Yes,"  answered  X ,  doubtfully;  "  but  it's  risky." 

"Of  course,"  assented  B ,  in  an  encouraging  tone. 

"I  suppose  the  risk  is  a  matter  of  course,  but  every  way  I  can 

think  of  seems  to  have  so  many  <ifs'  about  it,"  rejoined  X ; 

"  now  this  one — you  know  that  oil-cloth  of  mine — how  thick 
it  is?" 

"Yes?"  replied  B ,  inquiringly. 

"  We'll  make  that  into  two  life-preservers,  and  swim  out." 

B looked  at  him,  half  smiling. 

"If  I  thought  you  would  not  be  offended  by  a  candid  expres 
sion  of  opinion,"  he  said,  "I  should  say  that  you  were  crazy." 

"Why?"  demanded  X . 

"  You  speak  of  swimming  out  as  if  it  would  be  the  easiest 
thing  in  the  world,"  rejoined  the  other;  "  don't  you  know — but 
of  course  you  do — that  every  time  we  go  in  bathing  there's  a  big 
squad  stationed  on  the  bank  to  keep  us  from  going  too  far  out  ?" 

"Not  then,"  returned  X ,  with  some  impatience  ;  and  pro 
ceeded  to  unfold  his  plan. 

Perhaps  it  will  be  better  if  we  follow  the  execution  of  the  pro- 


466  A  Captive  "Tiger." 

ject,  rather  than  listen  longer  to  the  two  friends  ;  for  there  are 
many  circumstances  which,  perfectly  well  known  to  them,  re' 
quire  explanation  when  the  story  is  told  to  others. 

Procuring  a  supply  of  shoemaker's  wax  and  thread,  under  the 
pretense  that  they  were  going  to  repair  their  own  shoes,  they 
cut  the  oil-cloth  into  four  pieces,  which  were  sewed  together  so 
as  to  make  two  bags.  The  seams  were  well  waxed,  so  that  the 
whole  aifair  was  impervious  to  water.  The  opening  at  the  upper 
end  was  barely  large  enough  to  insert  a  spool,  which  was  provi 
ded  with  an  air-tight  plug.  Two  sets  of  straps  were  fastened  to 
each  bag,  one  set  near  the  top,  the  other  lower  down. 

It  was  a  novel  kind  of  life-preserver,  to  which  they  intended 
to  trust  themselves  (if  they  succeeded  so  far  as  to  get  a  chance 
to  do  so)  without  the  usual  preliminaries  of  a  thorough  but  safe 
test.  The  upper  straps  were  to  fasten  the  bag  about  the  neck, 
the  lower  ones  to  hold  it  in  position  by  being  fastened  around 
the  waist.  Bending  the  head  a  little,  and  placing  the  lips  to  the 
opening  in  the  spool,  the  bag  could  soon  be  inflated,  and  was 
large  enough  to  render  material  assistance  in  keeping  afloat,  if, 
indeed,  it  were  not  sufficiently  buoyant  to  make  such  efforts  un 
necessary. 

Ingenious  as  this  arrangement  was,  its  inventor  made  no  ef 
fort  to  secure  a  patent  from  the  United  States  G-overnment;  in 
deed,  he  guarded  it  most  jealously  from  the  eyes  of  those  who 
represented  Federal  authority  at  Fort  Delaware;  and  it  is  safe 
to  say,  that  not  one  of  the  officials  there  knew  that  there  was 
such  an  inventive  genius  under  their  charge. 

Some  of  the  prisoners  had  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
(Jnited  States  G-overnment,  but  whether  from  a  failure  to  observe 
some  necessary  form,  or  whether  they  had  to  pass  through  a  pe 
riod  of  probation,  they  had  not  yet  been  released.  These  "gal 
vanized"  men,  as  they  were  dubbed  by  their  still  rebellious 
brethren,  were  considered  "  trooly  loil,"  and  were  allowed  many 
privileges  which  were  denied  to  the  others.  Among  these,  was 
the  liberty  of  the  island  until  nearly  dark.  If  the  "galvanized" 
chanced  to  be  detailed  for  any  particular  work,  he  had,  of  course, 
even  greater  freedom. 

Those  who  had  remained  faithful  to  their  oaths  as  soldiers  of 
the  Confederacy,  held  these  renegades  in  small  esteem  ;  but  our 
Tiger  and  his  friend  were  not  at  all  particular  as  to  the  charac 
ter  which  they  should  assume  in  order  to  escape.  They  were 


A  Captive  "Tiger."  467 

lodged  in  the  barracks  next  to  those  occupied  by  the  "galvan 
ized"  men,  and  hoped,  by  passing  through  the  cook-room,  to  ob 
tain  their  liberty  so  far  as  the  island  itself  was  concerned. 

Day  after  day  they  waited  and  watched  for  an  opportunity, 
until  the  expression,  "  happy  as  the  day  is  long"  acquired  new 
meaning  for  them.  It  was  July  23d,  1864,  before  they  judged 
that  the  time  had  come.  A  detail  of  the  "galvanized"  came  in 
to  the  prison-yard  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  to  clear 
up  the  dirt  and  trash  which  had  accumulated  there. 

"Now's  our  chance,  B ,"  said  the  Tiger  to  his  friend;  "we 

need  not  risk  going  through  the  cook-room,  where  we  might  be 
found  out  and  sent  back.  We  can  help  these  fellows  load  up, 
and  the  guards,  seeing  us  busy  with  the  cart,  will  let  us  pass 
without  question." 

"  Don't  be  too  sure  of  that,"  replied  his  more  cautious  com 
rade;  "  but  maybe  it  is  less  uncertain  than  the  other." 

So  they  worked  with  a  will,  that  hot  afternoon.  The  July  sun 
blazed  down  upon  the  treeless  prison-yard,  and  the  "galvaniz 
ed"  were  only  too  glad  to  find  such  willing  helpers.  In  fact, 
they  were  very  unwilling  to  work  at  all,  and  did  not  care,  so 
that  only  they  escaped  punishment  for  not  having  the  yard 
clean  at  the  designated  time. 

By  some  means  or  other  the  two  friends  had  secured  a  couple 
of  blue  blouses,  and  with  these  disguises  they  were  of  course  not 
as  easily  detected  as  if  they  had  been  in  their  ordinary  cloth 
ing.  No  one  knew  of  that  highly  original  style  of  life-preserv 
er  concealed  under  the  coarse  army  blue  cloth. 

At  last  the  yard  was  clean,  and  the  cart  loaded  with  the  rub 
bish  which  had  been  removed  from  it.  Shouldering  their  tools, 
spades,  mattocks  and  brooms,  the  detail  followed  it  out  of  the 
prison-yard.  One  of  the  men  gave  a  curious  glance  at  the  faces 
of  the  Confederates,  but  seeing  their  blue  blouses,  and  knowing 
that  they  had  really  been  at  work  with  the  others,  looked  away 
without  saying  anything  to  them.  A  half-smile  played  a  mo 
ment  on  his  lips  as  he  turned  his  eyes  from  them,  and  his  gaze 
was  for  a  moment  fixed  upon  vacancy;  then  he  gave  a  light 
sigh,  and  that  was  all.  Did  he  know  them  for  prisoners  trying 
to  escape?  Surely  he  must.  Was  his  heart  really  with  the 
struggling  Confederacy,  that  he  should  thus,  by  his  silence,  as 
sist  in  giving  her  two  more  soldiers  ?  Or  did  he  feel  so  deep  a 

sympathy  fbr  the  prisoners  that  he  would  not,  for  mere  human- 

30    ' 


468  A  Captive  "Tiger." 

ity's  sake,  betray  their  efforts  to  regain  their  freedom  ?  Or  was 
he  so  convinced  of  the  uselessness  of  their  endeavors  that  he 
felt  they  might  as  well  hope  a  moment  longer,  since  in  a  short 
time  all  hope  must  vanish.  No  man  knows;  we  can  only  con 
jecture;  let  us  give  him  credit  for  what  we  consider  the  best 
motive. 

The  volunteer  assistants  marched  soberly  towards  the  fort 
with  the  "galvanized"  as  if  they  had  been  real  members  of  the 
detail.  Only  the  man  who  had  looked  at  them  so  curiously  did 
not  vouchsafe  a  second  glance  in  their  direction;  his  eyes  were 
turned  as  resolutely  to  the  front  as  the  strictest  martinet  could 
desire.  Had  the  Tiger  and  his  friend  evaded  the  guards  thus 
far  merely  to  escort  the  cart-load  of  trash  to  the  dump?  So 
it  would  have  seemed,  to  one,  who  saw  them  returning  as  con 
tentedly  to  the  prison.  But  no  ;  they  were  but  watching  their 
chance. 

Beside  the  road  stood  a  small  framed  building,  used  as  a  car 
penter  shop.  It  was  within  a  pistol  shot  from  the  fort,  and  not 
a  tree  or  shrub  was  near  it;  yet  it  was  their  only  hiding-place. 

X 's  heart  sank  into  his  dilapidated  boots,  and  would  have 

gone  out  of  the  holes,  if  it  had  not  been  a  little  too  large,  when 
he  saw  that  there  was  no  other  possible  shelter.  Hastily  touch 
ing  B 's  arm  as  they  approached  this  building,  he  gave  one 

expressive  glance  toward  it.  That  was  enough;  B compre 
hended  at  once,  and  slackened  his  pace  gradually.  X did 

the  same,  so  that  by  the  time  the  detail  had  reached  the  building 
"Uiey  were  a  few  feet  in  the  rear.  Quick  as  thought  the  prison 
ers  darted  to  the  side  of  the  shanty.  Boarded  up  at  the  front  and 
for  about  half  of  each  side,  the  space  between  the  floor  and  the 
ground  was  open  at  the  rear  and  along  the  remainder  ofthesides. 
Here  was  as  good  a  hiding-place  as  they  could  hope  for.  Crawl 
ing  under  the  building,  and  crouching  in  one  of  the  sheltered 
corners,  they  waited,  with  beating  hearts,  to  see  whether  their 
absence  would  be  discovered. 

The  detail  passed  slowly  toward  the  fort.  The  blue-bloused 
volunteer  assistants  were  not  yet  missed.  But  the  fugitives 
could  not  yet  venture  forth.  In  daylight  they  were  liable  to  be 
recognized  or  at  least  suspected  and  questioned;  so  they  must 
wait  until  night  should  offer  her  friendly  services.  But  they 
found  that  they  were  not  out  of  danger,  even  though  they  had 
not  yet  been  missed. 


A  Captive  "Tiger.3 


469 


Along  the  road  came  a  quartet  that  was  to  bring  them  into  fear 
and  trembling,  lest  they  be  discovered — a  chicken,  a  diminutive 
darkey,  and  two  dogs.  The  first,  half  running,  half-flying,  seem 
ed  to  be  like  themselves,  an  escaping  prisoner.  In  a  cloud  of 
dust  came  the  breathless  pursuers;  under  the  carpenter  shop, 
thattempting  shelter,  ran  poor  Biddy,  and  nestled  at  X 's  feet. 


Critical  Situation. 


"Sacre!"  he  exclaimed,  under  his  breath,  as  he  realized  the 
danger  which  now  menaced  them.  B  -  said  not  a  word,  but 
grasped  X  -  's  wrist  tightly.  The  hint  was  enough.  Even  a 
sigh  might  betray  them. 

The  dogs  followed  the  fowl  closely,  and  were  soon  under  the 
building.  B  -  ,  releasing  his  hold  on  his  friend's  wrist,  laid 
his  hand  suddenly  upon  the  the  feathered  back  at  his  feet.  In 
new  terror  the  winged  fugitive  started  up,  cackling  at  the  unex 
pected  threat  of  capture.  She  flew  again  to  the  open  air,  and  the 
dogs  pursued  her  yet  more  hotly,  encouraged  by  their  small  mas 
ter  •  while  the  human  game  rejoiced  that  the  scent  had  not  yet 
been  found. 


470  A  Captive  "Tiger." 

As  they  waited  for  the  day  to  pass,  the  summer  sunshine,  which 
had  been  but  fitful  all  day  long,  became  clouded  yet  more  dark 
ly.  With  much  satisfaction  they  watched  the  lessening  light, 
until,  at  sunset,  the  rain-clouds  had  wholly  obscured  the  sky. 
Darker  and  darker  it  grew,  as  the  night  and  the  storm  came  on 
together.  The  wind  blew  a  gale;  and  the  very  windows  of  heav 
en  seemed  opened  as  the  rain  came  down  in  blinding  sheets. 
To  two  pairs  of  ears,  the  falling  of  that  summer  rain  was  the 
sweetest  of  music. 

It  was  more  than  an  hour  after  sunset,  however,  when  they 
left  their  hiding-place,  and  crept  slowly  down  toward  the  river. 
Facing  Delaware  City,  and  some  thirty  or  forty  feet  from  the 
banks  of  the  river,  were  the  barracks,  occupied  by  the  regiment 
on  duty  on  the  island.  This  building  was  raised  on  piles  like  the 
carpenter-shop,  but  no  portion  of  the  space  between  floor  and 
ground  was  enclosed.  Under  it  they  crawled  to  reconnoiter  be 
fore  going  farther. 

"There's  one  good  thing,"  said  X ,  "we're  so  wet  already 

that  the  river  itself  cannot  make  us  any  more  uncomfortable/' 

"Just  from  Fort  Delaware,  and  talking  of  being  uncomfort 
able,"  exclaimed  B ;  discreetly  keeping  his  voice  inaudible 

to  any  one  three  feet  away. 

"It's  because  we  are  out  of  it  that  I  am  beginning  to  think  of 
comfort,"  retorted  X ,  in  the  same  low  tone. 

But  they  had  no  time  for  small  talk.  The  rain  had  ceased  by 
this  time,  and  the  wind  was  still.  Their  eyes,  accustomed  to  the 
darkness  of  the  summer  night,  saw  distinctly  the  figures  of  two 
sentinels,  whom  they  must  pass  before  they  could  get  to  the  riv 
er.  It  was  not  very  encouraging,  to  say  the  least;  but  though 
the  game  seemed  to  be  going  against  them,  they  were  playing  for 
such  high  stakes  that  they  would  not  throw  up  their  hands  until 
the  last  moment.  They  must  play  it  out  to  the  end. 

"Two  o'clock,  and  all's  well,"  sang  out  the  nearest  sentinel. 

"Hope  it  may  be  all  well  at  three,"  muttered  X . 

"  We  must  make  it  so,"  replied  B .     "Are  you  ready  ?" 

X nodded. 

"Now  for  it,  then,"  rejoined  his  companion. 

Crawling  out  from  under  the  building,  they  started  on  a  run. 
One  of  the  sentries  was  stationed  on  the  bridge  leading  to  the 
sinks,  and  across  this  bridge  they  must  go.  Fortunately,  there 
was  no  countersign  on  this  part  of  the  island,  as  there  was  in  the 


A  Captive  "Tiger."  471 

more  immediate  vicinity  of  the  prison;  so  that  if  the  sentry  were 
ordinarily  good-natured,  he  would  be  apt  to  let  them  pass,  tak 
ing  them  for  members  of  his  own  command. 

To  and  fro  he  paced  along  the  bridge,  and  soon  espied  the 
two  figures  running  towards  him.  Soldierly  in  bearing  they 
undoubtedly  were,  and  their  clothes,  though  limp  and  wet, 
seemed  to  be  of  the  same  cut  as  the  uniform  which  he  himself 
wore.  Where  they  could  be  going,  he  did  not  know  ;  doubtless 
on  some  innocent  (?)  lark;  should  he  be  the  one  to  spoil  their 
fun  ?  Not  he.  Officers  had  many  liberties ;  why  should  not 
privates  be  indulged  occasionally?  Thus  he  speculated  as  the 
two  figures  approached. 

"You're  in  a  devil  of  a  hurry,"  he  called  out  to  them  good- 
naturedly,  as  they  came  up. 

Fearful  of  betraying  themselves  by  a  voice  unfamiliar  to  the  sen 
try,  they  darted  past  without  answering.  He  looked  after  them. 

"Might,  at  least,  have  given  a  fellow  a  civil  answer/'  he  mut 
tered  ;  "  but  that's  the  way.  We  never  think  what  it  is  to  stand 
sentry  until  we  have  to  do  it,  and  then  we  can  grumble  enough 
at  the  job. 

With  which  sapient  reflection  he  shouldered  his  musket 
again  and  resumed  his  solitary  walk. 

One  more  of  the  safeguards  remained  to  be  overcome  by  the 
prisoners — the  outer  sentry..  But  whether  he  was  committing 
the  unpardonable  crime  of  sleeping  at  his  post,  or  whether  his 
eyesight  was  bad  enough  to  have  procured  him  a  discharge,  or 
whether  he  considered  himself  purely  ornamental,  he  took  no 
more  notice  of  the  fugitives  than  if  they  had  been  a  couple  of 
mosquitoes;  and  it  may  be  believed  that  the  Tigers  thirsted 
for  his  blood  far  less  than  did  the  insects. 

"That  fellow  on  the  bridge  will  begin  to  smell  a  mice  if  we 
are  not  back  pretty  soon;  so  we'd  better  get  out  of  reach  as  soon 
as  possible,"  remarked  X . 

"Yes,  he'll  be  looking  for  us,"  answered  B ,  with  a  sub 
dued  chuckle. 

"  He  may  look,  he  may  sigh, 
With  a  cold,  watery  eye ; 
He  may  look  to  the  bottom 
Of  the  sea,  sea,  sea," 

saidX ,  in  reply,  under  his  breath;  and  they  sprang,  not  in 
to  the  sea,  indeed,  but  into  its  tributary  Delaware. 


472  A  Captive  "Tiger." 

One  danger  that  they  feared  did  not  threaten  them.  They 
thought  that  the  sentries  whom  they  had  passed  would  soon  give 
the  alarm;  but  in  this  they  were  most  fortunately  mistaken. 
The  guard  was  relieved  in  a  very  short  time  after  our  two  he 
roes  had  escaped  the  military  limits  of  the  island,  and  the  men 
who  had  been  on  duty,  not  wishing  to  betray  the  escapade  of 
two  whom  they  supposed  their  comrades,  said  nothing  to  those 
who  relieved  them. 

Inflating  their  "  iron-clads,"  as  the  oil-cloth  life-preservers 
had  been  dubbed,  the  swimmers  made  their  way  to  the  very 
channel  of  the  river.  The  tide  was  now  going  out,  but  in  about 
an  hour  would  turn.  At  last  they  got  into  slack  water  and  then 
found  their  work  comparatively  easy. 

At  regular  intervals  the  prison  authorities  cast  the  light  from 
a  huge  reflector  over  the  surrounding  land  and  water,  that  the 
guards  might  be  able  to  detect  any  unusual  appearance.  This, 

though  perfectly  well  known  to  B and  X ,  had,  strangely 

enough,  been  entirely  forgotten,  until  they  saw  the  blinding 
glare  on  the  surface  of  the  rippling  water.  But  the  inspection 
by  this  means  had  come  to  be  a  mere  matter  of  form,  and,  like 
most  such  duties,  was  very  negligently  performed.  The  sentinel 
on  duty  glanced  about  him  carelessly,  and  then  turned  away 
again,  having  made  sure,  as  he  thought,  that  no  danger  threat 
ened  the  prison  or  prisoners  from  within  or  without. 

When  the  Confederates  found  that  no  unusual  tumult  follow 
ed  this  slight  inspection,  they  knew  that  they  were  safe,  that 
there  was  no  danger  of  pursuit.  Many  perils,  however,  remain- 
ed  to  be  encountered,  even  though  there  were  none  immediately 
from  Fort  Delaware.  Any  chance  might  betray  them  to  the 
enemy  in  whose  country  they  still  were;  and  betrayal,  of  course, 
meant  a  return  to  the  prison,  with  added  severities  of  treatment 
as  punishment  for  their  daring  attempt  to  escape. 

The  tide  began  to  come  in  before  they  got  across  the  river, 
and  though  they  swam  directly  for  the  shore,  they  landed  near 
the  entrance  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Delaware  Canal,  having 
been  in  the  water  two  hours  and  a  half.  For  half  an  hour  long 
er  they  concealed  themselves,  the  country  being  wholly  unknown 
to  them;  then,  as  the  eastern  sky  began  to  brighten  and  the 
gray  light  of  dawn  make  their  way  clear  before  them,  they  left, 
and  struck  across  the  country  to  a  small  patch  of  woods  some 
three  miles  away,  and  liberty. 


CHAPTER 


A  CHAPLAIN'S  EXPLOIT. 

Left  Behind — Sympathy  for  the  Sick — Real  Sympathy — A  Mad  Undertaking — 
Ridiculed  by  Comrades — Determined  to  Go— The  Preparations  of  a  Non-Com 
batant — Approaches  the  Enemy's  Stronghold — "Who  Goes  There  !" — An  Unex 
pected  Friend — Passing  the  Enemy's  Pickets — Reaching  the  Hospital — The  De 
serted  Mansion — The  Sick  Soldier — A  Sad  Sight — "  I  Have  Come  to  Take  You 
to  Camp,  Billy" — Challenged— A  Close  Shave — Through  the  Darkness — Safe 
at  Last.  . 

,  I'm  mighty  sorry  for  poor  Bill  Lilly." 
The  speaker  was  a  member  of  the  First  Texas  Cav 
alry;  the  time  was  a  night  in  the  winter  of  1864-5;  the  place 
was  the  temporary  camp  of  the  regiment,  not  far  from  Simms- 
port,  Louisiana.  Thirty-six  hours  before,  the  Texan  troopers  had 
been  in  possession,  full  and  undisputed,  of  that  town  on  the 
Atchafalaya,  a  strong  military  position,  as  an  impassable  morass 
and  a  network  of  bayous  made  it  a  natural  fastness.  But  the 
Federals,  three  thousand  strong,  had  approached  by  means  of  a 
pontoon  bridge;  the  Confederates,  sturdy  fighters  as  they  were, 
and  not  inclined  to  ask  favors  of  any  enemy,  had  found  these 
odds  against  them  too  great  for  wise  men  to  combat;  and  the 
order  to  retreat  was  given  and  obeyed.  The  battle  of  Yellow 
Bayou  had  encumbered  their  march  with  many  wounded  com 
rades  ;  those  who  were  able  to  sit  a  horse  were  provided  with 
animals;  and  the  more  seriously  injured  were  placed  in  ambu 
lances;  thus,  as  the  colonel  thought,  all  had  escaped  the  terrors 
of  captivity  in  the  North.  But  some  few  of  the  troopers  discov 
ered,  after  they  had  bivouacked,  that  there  was  an  exception. 
"  What  about  Bill  Lilly  ?"  asked  the  regimental  chaplain, 

473 


474  A  Chaplain's  Exploit. 

drawing  nearer  to  the  group  of  which  the  speaker  was  a  mem 
ber. 

"He  was  in  the  hospital,  and  was  left  behind,"  was  the  reply. 

"Left  behind?"  echoed  the  chaplain;  "why,  how  did  that 
come?  I  thought  all  the  sick  and  wounded  had  been  brought 
off." 

"  I  don't  know  how  it  is,  sir,"  answered  the  trooper;  "  but  it's 
so.  Bill  had  the  diphtheria,  and  maybe  they  didn't  want  him 
with  the  other  boys  in  the  ambulances;  and  in  the  hurry  of  the 
retreat  they  forgot  to  make  special  provision  for  him.  It's 
mighty  hard  on  him,  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Yankees 
when  he's  so  sick." 

"Can't  we  rescue  him?"  asked  the  chaplain,  thoughtfully; 
all  his  sympathies  aroused  for  the  boy  whom  he  knew  so  well. 

The  soldiers  shook  their  heads  with  a  smile;  the  very  idea 
was  almost  preposterous.  Go  into  the  enemy's  camp,  an  enemy 
too  strong  for  the  entire  regiment  to  face,  and  attempt  to  carry 
off  a  man  too  sick  to  keep  his  place  in  the  saddle?  They  were 
brave  men,  and  had  much  sympathy  and  not  a  little  affection  for 
the  boy  of  scarcely  seventeen  who  was  thus  left  in  the  enemy's 
hands,  but  they  were  not  inclined  to  accept  the  chaplain's  in 
vitation  to  run  their  heads  into  the  very  jaws  of  the  lion. 

But  the  Eev.  Mr.  C •  had  no  idea  of  being  laughed  out  of 

his  benevolent  purpose  ;  if  he  could  find  no  one  to  go  with  him, 
why,  he  would  go  alone;  his  duty  was  clear  enough;  so  he  ex 
pressed  himself. 

"But  the  dam — I  mean  the  confounded  Yanks  will  be  mighty 
hard  on  any  of  us  that  fall  into  their  hands,"  objected  one,  in 
tending  his  remark  to  apply  to  C 's  case,  if  he  should  be 

captured. 

"They've  been  burning  houses  right  and  left,  and  driving 
women  and  children  from  shelter,"  said  a  second. 

"  Bad  as  Beast  Butler  himself,"  growled  a  third,  refilling  his 
pipe. 

"  Our  boys  have  been  shooting  some  of  their  pickets,"  put  in 
a  fourth  ;  "  so  they're  not  in  any  very  good  humor  toward  us." 

"  All  these  are  first-rate  reasons  why  Billy  should  not  be  left 
in  their  hands,"  returned  the  chaplain  quietly. 

"  But  how  will  you  find  out  where  he  is  ?"  queried  one  ;  "  and 
how  will  you  evade  the  guard  ?" 

"  Since  he  is  the  only  one  left  in  the  hospital,  their  attention 


A  Chaplain's  Exploit.  475 

would  not  be  likely  to  be  attracted  to  the  building  ;  it's  in  an 
out-of-the-way  place,  you  know,  and  they  would  be  sure  to  hear 
that  we  had  carried  off  our  sick  and  wounded." 

Still  the  soldiers  shook  their  heads  doubtfully  ;  the  enterprise 
was  too  risky,  without  a  fair  chance  of  success,  as  they  thought. 
The  chaplain  turned  away,  none  the  less  determined  to  make 
the  venture  because  he  must  go  alone. 

The  hospital  was  a  large  building,  the  former  residence  of  a 
well-to-do  family,  situated  on  the  bank  of  Yellow  Bayou,  a 
half-mile  above  the  bridge  which  formed  the  only  means  of  ac 
cess  to  the  town.  To  cross  this  stream  at  any  other  point  would 
have  been  simply  impossible,  as  the  banks  were  very  abrupt  and 
brushy,  or  else  lined  with  briars  through  which  no  horse  could 
force  his  way  ;  there  was  no  ford,  and  the  bottom  was  so  boggy 
that  it  would  nowhere  sustain  the  weight  of  steed  and  rider. 
But,  as  the  chaplain  knew,  the  Federal  camp  could  not  be  very 
far  from  this  bridge,  which  was  of  course  still  farther  guarded 
by  pickets.  To  cross  the  bridge  unobserved,  escape  the  watch 
ful  eyes  of  the  guard  stationed  at  the  one  point  most  likely  to 
be  assailed,  to  ride  past  the  camp  unnoticed,  and,  reaching  the 
hospital,  carry  off  a  man  unable  to  ride  alone,  by  the  same  peril 
ous  path  along  which  he  had  already  traveled — this  was  the  task 
which  the  generous  man  had  set  himself.  Perhaps,  if  the  troop 
ers  had  felt  that  there  was  a  reasonable  chance  of  success,  they 
would  not  have  refused  to  share  the  dangers;  but  it  was  by  no 
means  certain  that  Lilly  was  not  guarded  by  a  sentinel  appoint 
ed  for  that  duty;  in  such  case,  the  would-be  rescuer  would  have 
to  return  as  he  came,  even  if  he  were  fortunate  enough  to  escape 
the  enemy  himself. 

The  necessary  leave  was  procured,  not  without  a  protest  from 
the  colonel,  who  expressed  himself  as  certain  of  the  failure  of 
the  effort  as  the  troopers  had  been  ;  but  the  chaplain  was  no  more 
to  be  moved  by  his  remonstrances  than  he  had  been  influenced 
by  the  reluctance  of  the  others  to  share  his  enterprise.  Even 
the  thought  of  his  wife  and  children,  far  away  in  Texas,  failed  to 
deter  him;  this  boy  was  as  dear  to  his  father  as  those  children 
were  to  him. 

Night  came  on,  dark  and  foggy  as  even  C could  wish. 

Arming  himself  with  a  pair  of  revolvers  and  a  rifle,  and  provid 
ing  himself  with  a  due  amount  of  ammunition,  he  was  ready  to 
set  out. 


476 


A  Chaplain's  Exploit. 


"  You.  are  the  most  unclerical  looking  chaplain  I  have  seen  for 
some  time/'  remarked  a  brother  officer,  surveying  the  outfit 
quizzically  ;  "  indeed  you  are  fit  to  succeed  the  Bishop-General 
Polk." 

"I  don't  know  as  it  is  any  worse  to  shoot  than  to  be  shot 
at,"  returned  the  preacher,  stoutly  ;  "  and  besides,  if  I  should  be 
captured,  I  should  not  wish  to  be  so  cowardly  as  to  shirk  the 
consequences  of  my  own  actions,  as  I  should  be  doing  if  Itook 

refuge  in  the  fact  that  I 
am  a  non-combatant.  I 
am  going  to  do  a  soldier's 
duty,  and  I  have  a  right 
to  a  soldier's  defenses — 
no  more,  no  less." 

"  Don't  be  afraid  ;  no 
body  would  think  you 
were  a  non-combatant." 
But  before  he  was  ready 
to  set  out  on  his  nocturn 
al  ride,  certain  other 
preparations  were  neces 
sary.  The  wounded  boy 
had  been  without  food 
since  the  retreat  on  the 
previous  night;  but  it 
was  of  course  impossible  for  him  to  take  solid  nutriment* 
Something  liquid — suitable  for  a  sick  man — must  be  obtained. 
Stopping  at  a  farm-house  which  lay  on  his  road,  he  readily 
enough  obtained  a  bottle  of  sweet  milk  for  the  use  of  a  sick  sol 
dier,  his  uniform  being  a  guarantee  that  the  invalid  was  a  Con 
federate;  here,  too,  he  secured  a  candle  and  some  matches,  arti 
cles  with  which  he  had,  for  some  reason  (perhaps  the  best  possi 
ble — the  poverty  of  the  Confederate  commissariat),  failed  to  pro 
vide  himself  at  the  camp.  Thus  he  was  ready  to  proceed  on  his 
errand  of  mercy. 

Onward  he  rode  through  the  darkness — blackness  so  intense 
that  no  form  of  house  or  tree  could  be  discerned  through  it.  Be 
hind  him  lay  his  friends,  few,  weakened  by  frequent  losses,  dis 
couraged  by  the  capture  of  their  stronghold,  weary  from  the 
long  day's  march;  before  him  were  his  foes,  strong  in  numbers, 
triumphant,  vigilant  as  all  soldiers  had  learned  to  be  during  four 


Non-combatant's  Equipment. 


A  Chaplain's  Exploit.  477 

years  of  civil  war.  A  sound  is  borne  to  his  ears  through  the 
darkness;  it  is  the  Federal  drums  beating  the  tattoo.  The  notes 
echo  and  re-echo  through  the  stillness;  mournfully,  as  if  a  la 
ment  over  those  who  fell  on  the  battle-field  where  he  is  now 
riding;  and  his  own  thoughts  are  as  sad  as  the  sound. 

But  from  this  reverie  he  was  aroused  as  he  drew  near  to  the 
bridge  which  was  his  only  path  of  approach  ;  the  sound  of  a 
horse's  hoofs,  perhaps  of  more  than  one,  fell  upon  his  ear.  Was 
it  some  escaping  Confederate,  or  was  it  a  Federal  officer  select 
ing  a  favorable  spot  for  the  location  of  a  guard?  Silently  the 
Confederate  checked  his  horse,  trusting  that,  if  it  were  an  ene 
my,  the  intense  darkness  would  enable  him  to  escape  without 
question.  But,  as  the  stranger  came  onward,  and  he  became  as 
sured  that  there  was  but  one,  he  saw  that  this  direct  approach 
would  make  a  parley  necessary.  Determined  to  take  the  ini 
tiative,  he  waited  until  the  new  comer  was  within  a  few  paces. 
His  rifle  was  already  cocked  and  pointed  as  well  as  the  obscu 
rity  would  enable  him  to  take  aim;  and,  in  a  low,  firm  voice,  he 
commanded  a  halt.  The  command  was  obeyed  without  the 
least  hesitation. 

"Who  goes  there  ?"  demanded  the  chaplain,  secretly  very 
anxious  as  to  the  result  of  the  meeting. 

"A — a  friend,"  stammered  the  stranger. 

The  evident  alarm  of  the  other  reassured  our  Texan,  and  it 
was  with  a  lighter  heart,  though  it  could  not  be  with  a  firmer 
voice,  that  he  asked: 

"A  friend  to  whom?" 

There  was  a  momentary  silence,  as  if  the  one  addressed  were 
debating  within  himself  whether  it  would  be  well  to  avow  him 
self  at  once;  then  came  the  reply — oh,  how  grateful  to  the  lone 
ly  rider  from  the  Southern  camp  ! 

"To  the  Confederacy!"  and  the  speaker's  voice  sounded  al 
most  triumphant. 

"All  right,"  answered  the  chaplain,  heartily;  "where  have 
you  come  from  ?" 

The  conversation  was  now  carried  qn  in  a  lower  tone,  almost 
a  whisper,  each  being  sufficiently  reassured  to  approach  near 
enough  to  the  other  for  that  purpose;  and  both  were  only  too 
well  aware  of  the  danger  which  threatened  them. 

"I  was  caught  in  Simmsport,"  returned  the  stranger,  "and 
have  only  just  got  away.  Who  are  you  ?" 


478  A.  Chaplain's  Exploit. 

"  Don't  you  know  me?"  asked  C ,  recognizing  the  voice 

of  one  of  the  "  boys,"  a  son  of  the  man  at  whose  house  he  had 
obtained  the  milk  ;  "  I  am  going  to  the  hospital." 

"To  the  hospital,  Mr.  C ?"  repeated  the  other, in  surprise; 

"what  in  the  world  are  you  going  there  for?  Don't  you  know 
that  you  will  have  to  pass  the  Yan  kee  pickets,  and  their  camp  too?" 

"  I  want  to  get  Billy  Lilly  away,"  replied  the  chaplain  ;  "  by 
some  oversight,  he  was  left  behind  in  the  hospital,  and  I  want 
to  help  him  to  get  to  camp.  Do  }Tou  know  anything  about  it? 
Are  the  Feds  at  the  hospital  ?  Or  have  they  carried  him  to  some 
other  place?" 

"  I  really  don't  know,  sir;  of  course,  I  was  not  exactly  in  their 
confidence,  any  more  than  they  were  in  mine — "  the  soldier 
chuckled  grimly — "and  they  may  have  captured  the  man  you 
speak  of.  I  don't  know  as  I  should  know  him  if  I  saw  him;  so 
he  might  have  been  in  the  same  prison  that  I  was;  but  then, 
again,  I  hardly  think  they  could  have  found  the  hospital  already; 
they've  all  had  a  good  deal  to  do  to-day;  and  I  heard  something 
about  our  sick  and  wounded  being  carried  off  in  the  retreat." 

"But  I  suppose  you  can  tell  me  where  the  camp  is?"  asked 
C ;  "  and  something  of  the  location  of  the  pickets  ?" 

"  Oh  yes,"  answered  the  trooper,  readily;  "they  have  a  post 
about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  bridge,  over  in  that  direction  ; 
and  the  camp  is  half  a  mile  away,  over  yonder;  you'll  not  find 
any  trouble  with  either,  I  reckon,  if  you  are  careful;  though  it 
is  possible  that  they  may  move  the  pickets;  I  don't  know  wheth 
er  they  are  regularly  posted  there  or  not." 

The  soldier  had  indicated  the  position  of  these  important 
points  by  means  of  local  landmarks  perfectly  familiar  to  himself 
and  his  auditor,  but  unintelligible  to  any  one  not  acquainted  with 
the  actual  locality;  let  it  be  enough  for  our  purpose,  then,  to 
state  that  the  camp  and  hospital,  each  about  half  a  mile  from  the 
end  of  the  bridge,  were  in  opposite  directions,  so  that  they  were 
nearly  a  mile  apart;  and  that  the  indicated  picket-post  must  be 
passed  very  closely  by  any  one  who  would  reach  the  hospital  ; 
since  the  nature  of  the  ground  was  such  as  ta  make  any  devia 
tion  from  the  road  unsafe. 

Thus  informed  of  the  position  of  the  enemy,  the  chaplain  bade 
the  trooper  good-bye,  and  rode  on  toward  the  bridge,  which  was 
scarcely  a  hundred  yards  away.  Over  this  he  went  slowly  and 
cautiously,  dreading  lest  each  footstep  might  be  the  means  of 


A  Chaplain's  Exploit.  479 

awaking  the  alarm  of  the  guard  to  whom  he  was  so  close.  The 
noble  animal  that  he  rode  seemed  to  understand  the  necessity 
of  silence,  and  set  each  foot  down  as  softly  as  a  reasoning  being 
could  have  done  under  the  same  circumstances.  Thus  he  crept 
onward:  at  a  snail's  pace,  indeed,  but  without  alarming  the  en 
emy  so  near  to  him. 

As  he  gained  the  farther  end  of  the  bridge,  a  dull  red  gleam 
which  had  before  been  scarcely  visible  through  the  fog,  now 
brightened  into  the  semblance  of  a  camp-fire;  and  moving  to 
and  fro  in  its  glare,  dimmed  as  the  radiance  was  by  the  condi 
tion  of  the  atmosphere,  he  saw  plainly  the  forms  of  the  pickets, 
rendered  careless  by  security.  For  a  moment  the  chaplain  wished 
that  he  had  a  regiment  at  his  back;  for  who  could  tell  but  that, 
by  a  sudden  onslaught,  the  defeat  so  lately  suffered  might  be  re 
trieved,  and  the  victors  driven  from  the  field  ?  But  there  was  no 
time  for  speculation  of  any  kind;  all  his  powers  must  be  con 
centrated  on  the  one  question  of  how  he  was  to  elude  their 
watch,  which  might  be  less  careless  than  it  seemed  ;  and,  finding 
the  invalid,  secure  the  safety  of  both. 

Although  so  close,  his  horse's  footfalls  were  unheard,  or  at 
least  unheeded.  At  last  he  had  reached  a  point  at  which  he 
knew  it  would  be  safe  to  leave  the  main  road,  and  striking  off 
to  the  right,  he  rode  away  from  the  pickets,  straight  toward  the 
hospital.  So  far,  he  had  succeeded  ;  but  would  he  find  the  ob 
ject  of  his  quest  still  in  the  old  mansion?  That  indeed  was  a 
question  which  gave  him  much  uneasiness.  At  last  he  saw  the 
square  outlines  dimly  against  the  dark  sky;  the  immense  trees 
around  it  were  gaunt  and  bare;  not  a  sound  betrayed  the  pres 
ence  of  man  or  beast;  not  a  glimmer  of  light  in  the  windows  in 
dicated  that  this  building  was  tenanted.  Was  it  deserted  ?  Had 
they  found  the  young  Confederate,  and  taken  him  to  more  easi 
ly  guarded  quarters  in  town?  Was  the  building  still  used  as  a 
hospital,  and  the  lights  extinguished  by  reason  of  the  lateness 
of  the  hour?  And  as  the  chaplain  rode  slowly  up  the  long  ave 
nue  leading  to  the  main  entrance  of  the  mansion,  another  ques 
tion  came  into  his  mind.  Was  Death  keeping  solitary  state  in 
the  deserted  dwelling?  Had  he  come  to  seek  one  who  was  be 
yond  earthly  captivity,  since  the  great  G-eneral  had  released  him 
forever? 

Securing  his  horse  to  a  tree,  he  stole  noiselessly  to  the  front  door, 
and  laid  his  hand  upon  the  knob.  There  was  not  a  sound  within; 


480 


A  Chaplain's  Exploit. 


nothing  but  the  low  sobbing  of  the  wind  through  the  branches 
of  the  surrounding  trees.  Stay ! — there  is  not  a  breath  of  air 
stirring;  is  it  the  wind  that  now  and  then  makes  that  faint  and 
mournful  sound  ?  He  enters  the  wide  hall  that  runs  through  the 
middle  of  the  house ;  the  sobs  which  had  now  and  then  reached 
his  ear  as  he  stood  without  are  heard  more  distinctly  now;  he 
can  even  tell  the  direction  from  which  they  come.  Groping  his 
way  cautiously  along,  he  finds  the  knob  of  one  of  the  inner 
doors.  The  melancholy  sounds  come  from  this  apartment.  Turn 
ing  the  knob,  he  stands  within  the  room,  and  in  a  moment  more 


The  Deserted  Comrade. 

has  struck  a  match;  the  candle  is  lighted,  and  by  its  flickering 
blaze  he  perceives  the  most  mournful  object  his  eyes,  accustom 
ed  as  they  are  to  the  sadder  sights  of  war,  have  ever  beheld.  The 
sick  soldier,  deserted  by  his  friends,  and  concealed  from  all  oth 
ers  who  might  have  brought  him  help,  sits  on  the  edge  of  his 
rudely  extemporized  bed,  one  arm  resting  upon  his  pillow,  the 
other  hand  covering  his  face,  but  not  concealing  the  large  tears 
which  drop  slowly  to  the  floor.  His  slight  form,  weakened  by 
disease  and  the  privations  of  the  last  twenty-eight  hours  (for 
during  th.'it  space  of  time  he  has  not  had  food  or  water),  shakes 


A  Chaplain's  Exploit.  481 

with  the  sobs  which  he  cannot  control.  The  gleam  of  light  in 
the  room  did  not  at  once  arouse  him  from  this  luxury  of  grief; 
it  could  only  be  an  enemy,  come  to  carry  him  off  to  the  hated 
custody  of  a  blue-coated  guard.  A  moment  before,  he  had  felt 
that  the  presence  of  any  one  would  be  welcome  ;  but  now  all  the 
soldier's  loathing  of  imprisonment  returned  with  full  force.  Yet, 
being  in  the  presence  of  an  enemy,  he  must  show  himself  a  man  ; 
and  restraining  his  sobs  with  difficulty,  he  raised  his  head.  All 
this  had  taken  but  a  moment,  though  it  seemed  such  an  eternity 
to  the  soldier-boy  ;  and  the  chaplain  spoke  just  as  he  looked  up : 

"  I  have  come  to  take  you  to  camp,  Billy." 

For  a  moment  he  sat  and  looked  at  the  friend  who  had  thus 
unexpectedly  come  to  his  relief;  then  dropping  his  head  again, 
he  burst  into  another  fit  of  weeping,  wilder  and  more  uncontrol 
lable  than  before.  The  chaplain  at  first  made  no  effort  to  stay 
this  evidence  of  the  boy's  grateful  emotion,  feeling  that  he  would 
be  the  better  for  giving  way  to  it ;  then,  as  the  storm  of  sobs  be 
gan  to  grow  less  violent,  soothed  him  with  kindly,  cheering 
words.  The  bottle  of  milk  was  put  into  his  hand,  and  he  took 
as  much  of  it  as  the  diseased  state  of  his  throat  would  allow; 
the  candle  having  been  extinguished  as  soon  as  it  had  served  its 
purpose  of  guiding  the  chaplain  to  his  side.  Then  the  generous 
friend  led  him  away  to  the  place  where  the  horse  had  been  left, 
the  boy's  slight  form  leaning,  with  almost  its  entire  weight,  up 
on  the  supporting  arm  of  the  man.  Lifted  like  a  child  to  a  place 
behind  the  saddle,  he  clung  closely  to  the  chaplain,  and  they 
rode  away  through  the  darkness. 

But  our  friend  Mr.  C had  not  yet  fully  accomplished  his 

perilous  undertaking.  It  is  one  thing  to  run  into  danger,  an 
other  to  get  out  of  it.  The  pickets  at  the  end  of  the  bridge  must 
be  passed  again;  and  as  the  night  advanced,  they  might  have 
become  more  vigilant.  Perhaps  his  coming  in  had  been  detect 
ed,  and  their  seeming  carelessness  was  only  a  ruse  ;  perhaps  they 
were  even  now  awaiting  his  return. 

As  they  approached  the  bridge,  he  saw  that  the  fire,  around 
which  they  were  gathered  as  he  passed  them  on  his  way  to  the 
hospital,  was  now  a  mere  handful  of  smouldering  embers,  as  if 
it  had  not  been  replenished  since  it  was  first  kindled  ;  and  not  a 
soldier  was  to  be  seen  as  he  peered  through  the  darkness.  Had 
the  position  of  the  pickets  been  unexpectedly  changed?  Why 
were  they  not  visible? 


482  A  Chaplain's  Exploit. 

With  a  whispered  caution. to  Billy  to  hold  fast  and  make  no 
sound,  he  guides  his  horse  into  the  short  bit  of  road,  passing  the 
picket-post  within  a  few  yards,  which  is  the  only  avenue  to  the 
bridge  ;  over  which,  in  its  turn,  lies  the  sole  path  to  the  world 
outside  Simmsport.  Not  a  sound  disturbs  the  stillness  of  the 
winter  night ;  it  is  so  dark  that  a  sentinel  might  be  within  a  rod 
and  yet  not  be  seen  through  the  dense  gloom  which  enshrouds 
them;  some  strange  presentiment  chills  the  blood  of  the 
brave  chaplain,  as  he  holds  himself  in  readiness  to  spur  on 
ward  at  full  speed  at  the  first  breath  of  alarm  ;  he,  of  all  men,  is 
least  likely  to  be  influenced  by  such  superstition,  but  he  cannot 
shake  the  feeling  off.  Do  "  coming  events  cast  their  shadows 
before?"  So  it  proved  in  this  case,  at  any  rate,  for  as  the  horse's 
feet  first  struck  the  timbers  of  the  bridge,  a  stern  voice  cried : 

"Haiti" 

The  sound  rang  out  clear  and  distinct  upon  the  night  air.  In 
stantly  the  chaplain  dug  his  spurs  deep  into  the  sides  of  his  steed. 
The  animal,  whose  every  effort  had  been  bent  toward  treading 
as  quietly  as  possible,  in  obedience  to  what  seemed  to  be  the 
wish  of  his  master,  sprang  suddenly  forward,  almost  unseating 
his  two  riders;  and  dashed  onward  at  his  utmost  speed,  his  pre 
viously  almost  silent  hoofs  now  striking  the  bridge  with  thun 
dering  blows.  The  report  of  a  rifle  sounded  behind  them,  and 
the  shot  whistled  past  their  ears  in  somewhat  alarming  proxim 
ity  ;  but  the  night  was  so  dark  that  marksmanship  was  useless. 

Onward  and  onward  they  rode,  at  the  same  break-neck  speed  ; 
and  soon  they  were  out  of  the  range  of  the  Federal  rifles,  with 
no  sounds  of  pursuers  approaching  to  alarm  them.  With  the 
grasp  of  almost  a  dying  man  the  soldier  clung  to  his  deliverer, 
too  weak  to  sit  up,  after  the  excitement  of  the  night  had  passed 
away.  At  last  they  heard  another  challenge,  the  self-same  word 
as  before,  but  now  how  welcome  to  their  ears  !  It  was  the  voice 
of  the  Confederate  picket,  and  they  were  safe. 

The  records  of  the  war  present  few  more  daring  deeds  than 
this:  the  story  of  a  man  who  went  alone  into  the  heart  of  the 
enemy's  lines  to  rescue  a  sick  comrade,  and  returned,  success 
ful,  from  a  venture  which  the  bravest  men  of  the  regiment  look 
ed  upon  as  foolhardy  and  sure  to  fail.  A  man  who  is  half  a  cow 
ard  may,  spurred  on  by  passion  or  excitement,  rush  into  danger; 
he  who,  for  a  noble  purpose,  deliberately  faces  it,  and  in  the 
two-fold  form  of  deadly  bullet  and  contagious  disease,  is  a  hero. 


A  Chaplain* &  Exploit. 


483 


81 


LIEUT.  BAILEY'S  EXPERIENCE. 

Siege  of  Atlanta — A  Mission  of  Danger — A  Determined  Charge  —  A  Firm  Re 
sistance.— Captured — A  Drunken  Captor — "Fall  in,  Prisoners" — An  Effort  to 
Escape  —  Retaken  —  The  Bivouac — Buried  Alive  —  The  Grave  —  Waiting — 
Resurrection — A  Friend — More  Friends — In  the  "  Quarters"  —  Jim — Setting 
Out — A  Young  Scout — Who  Proves  Unreliable — "Tie-tickets"  on  the  Rail 
road — Worn  Out — Disappointment — Rest — A  Sleepy  Sentinel — Recaptured — 
Forebodings  of  Evil— Two  Tete-a-tetes—K  Plan— A  Good  Place  to  Die  in— 
The  Funeral  Arranged  — Two  Minutes  to  Pray  —  A  Leap  for  Life  —  The 
Pursuit — Wounded — A  Friend  in  Need — Return  Home. 

IT  was  in  the  month  of  July,  1864;  Sherman  had  led  his  vic 
torious  army  from  Nashville  into  Georgia;  step  by  step  he 
had  driven  the  Confederates  back;  there  had  been  daily  fight 
ing  for  three  months,  and  for  more  than  five  weeks  the  North 
ern  forces  were  to  besiege  Atlanta.  On  the  22d,  the  Federals 
pressed  forward  to  occupy  the  works  from  which  the  Con 
federates  had  seemed  to  retreat,  and  the  latter  saw  themselves 
"hoist  with  their  own  petard"  by  the  reversal  of  these  defences. 
But  the  retreat  had  been  only  a  ruse  ;  the  advance  of  the  Fed 
erals  WL.i  not  to  be  unopposed.  As  their  line  was  being  grad 
ually  extended  to  encompass  the  doomed  city,  there  came  to  the 
ears  of  G-en.  Morgan  L.  Smith  and  his  staff,  first,  a  few  scatter 
ing  shots  ;  then  a  heavier  rattle  of  musketry  ;  then  a  succession 
of  volleys,  followed  by  the  deeper  roar  of  artillery.  As  yet  the 
attack  thus  indicated  was  on  the  extreme  left,  but  it  would  soon 
be  upon  the  whole  line.  The  outposts  were  ordered  in,  and  the 
pickets  retreated  hastily,  followed  closely  by  the  advance  of  the 
enemy0  Various  were  the  reports  which  the  frightened  soldiers 
gave,  but  all  agreed  that  the  enemy  was  in  full  force.  Hither 
and  thither  had  the  staff-officers  been  sent,  on  various  duties, 

485 


486  Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience. 

and  the  general  turned  to  the  only  one  remaining  at  his  side  ;  a 
young  man  of  barely  twenty -two  years,  who  had  but  just  returned 
from  the  perilous  task  of  ordering  in  the  outposts ;  slim  aqd 
slight,  with  a  boyish,  beardless  face,  and  wearing  on  his  should 
ers  the  straps  which  indicated  the  rank  of  a  first  lieutenant  on 
the  division  staff. 

"Bailey,  please  take  a  position  so  you  can  see  if  they  are 
massed,  and  where.  Report  to  me  as  soon  as  you  can  find  out." 

There  was  a  slight  elevation  just  to  the  rear  of  the  position  oc 
cupied  by  the  boys  in  blue,  and  thither  the  young  officer  ran. 
But  a  report  was  soon  rendered  equally  needless  and  impossible, 
for  he  had  hardly  gained  the  eminence  when  the  Confederates 
emerged  from  the  woods,  and  rushed  upon  the  works.  A  flash 
of  fire,  a  thunder  of  cannon,  a  roar  of  musketry ;  the  very  earth 
quaked,  as  if  for  fear  of  her  own  children  ;  smoke  and  dust  com-- 
bined  to  conceal  the  retreat  of  the  Confederates;  and  they  re 
formed  under  cover  of  the  cloud.  Again  and  again  the  charge 
was  repeated ;  again  and  again  was  it  repulsed.  Even  when  the 
efforts  of  the  assailants  were  seconded  by  their  batteries,  and 
the  screaming  of  shells  supplemented  the  wrhistling  of  bullets,  the 
Federals  held  their  ground.  At  last,  under  cover  of  the  smoke, 
a  column  of  the  Confederates  formed,  advanced,  and  pressing 
through  the  line  of  their  enemies  undiscovered  at  a  weak  point 
through  a  railroad  cut,  gained  the  rear.  Before  the  fire  from 
both  front  and  rear  no  troops  could  stand  ;  the  works  were  soon 
carried,  and  the  stars  and  bars  planted  where  lately  the  stars 
and  stripes  had  floated,, 

Separated  from  the  main  body  of  the  Federals  by  the  Confed 
erates  who  had  attacked  them  in  the  rear,  our  hero's  position 
was  now  dangerous  indeed.  Would  he  be  able  to  rejoin  his 
friends  ?  It  was  a  difficult  problem  for  him  to  solve,  but  he  suc 
ceeded,  by  making  a  small  circuit,  in  reaching  a  point  where  his 
horse  had  been  left  with  an  orderly.  Here,  he  thought,  he  would 
be  safe ;  mounted  and  armed,  it  would  be  comparatively  easy 
for  him  to  escape.  But  he  had  reckoned  without  his  host. 
Horse  and  orderly  were  gone.  To  all  seeming,  the  sky,  over 
cast  as  it  was  with  the  cloud  of  battle,  had  rained  Eebels;  from 
every  quarter  they  came;  and  he  had  not  had  time  to  move  far 
ther  before  he  saw  the  rifle  of  one  pointed  at  him,  and  heard 
the  command: 

"Halt!" 


Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience.  487 

The  weapon  trembled  in  the  unsteady  hands  of  the  man  who 
held  it,  and  who  was  too  drunk  to  take  certain  aim.  Seeing 
himself  surrounded,  Lieut  Bailey  judged  it  better  to  comply 
with  the  demand,  and  was  about  to  surrender  his  sword,  when 
the  soldier,  with  all  a  drunken  man's  devilish  persistency,  hic 
coughed  out: 

"D n  you,  i  b'lieve  I'll  shoot  you  anyhow;  haven't  shot 

my  Yankee  yet !" 

He  could  die  game,  or  he  could  surrender  when  resistance  be 
came  useless,  but  to  give  up  his  sword  and  die  too  was  more  than 
the  young  officer  had  bargained  for.  As  the  gray-coat  plunged 
forward  for  a  closer  shot,  Bailey  grasped  the  barrel  of  his  gun 
and  held  it  pointed  at  such  an  angle  that  its  discharge  could 
hurt  no  one.  His  burly  antagonist  struggled  to  lower  the 
weapon,  but  desperation  gave  strength  to  the  boy's  arm.  How 
long  the  struggle  might  have  continued,  no  man  can  tell ;  but 
just  as  the  power  of  the  drunken  man  began  to  fail,  a  voice  from 
behind  commanded  : 

"Let  go  of  this  sword  !" 

And  the  blade  was  wrenched  from  the  hand  of  Bailey,  whose 
whole  muscular  strength  was  concentrated  in  his  grasp  of  the 
gun.  Turning,  he  confronted  a  Confederate  officer. 

"He  was  about  to  shoot  me  after  I  had  surrendered." 

"He's  drunk,"  answered  the  Eeb,  laconically.  "John,  take 
this  officer  to  the  rear  and  see  that  he's  not  hurt  or  robbed." 

The  fight  went  on,  but  with  its  further  results  we  have  noth 
ing  to  do.  It  is  sufficient  for  our  narrative  to  say  that  the 
Northern  troops  rallied,  and,  surrounded  as  they  were,  finally 
repulsed  the  assailants  and  drove  them  back  to  Atlanta.  But, 
defeated  as  they  were  in  this  attack,  the  Southerners  kept  pos 
session  of  their  prisoners;  and  eighty  officers,  with  a  propor 
tionate  number  of  privates  of  the  Union  army,  were  enrolled  as 
prisoners  of  war.  At  twilight  came  the  order: 

"Fall  in,  prisoners !" 

And  the  whole  body  was  marched  off,  under  proper  escort,  to 
ward  East  Point.  Night  descended,  but  the  captives  were  far 
from  desiring  rest.  Liberty,  liberty,  coupled  with  any  hardships, 
obtained  at  any  price,  was  the  one  thing  desired.  Their  escort 
of  infantry  had  been  replaced  by  cavalry,  and  this  seemed  to 
render  feasible  a  plan  of  escape  hastily  conjured  up  by  Lieut. 
Bailey  and  a  fellow-prisoner.  They  were  to  slip  just  behind  the 


488  Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience. 

horse  of  one,  and  as  far  as  possible  from  the  next  trooper;  per 
haps,  through  the  darkness  of  the  night  and  the  dimness  of  the 
woods  through  which  they  were  pas-sing,  they  might  be  able  to 
reach  the  Union  lines. 

"Fortune  favors  the  brave,"  and  certainly  in  this  case  she 
seemed  to  smile  upon  the  two  prisoners.  They  safely  passed 
the  guard,  and  in  a  moment  were  lost  in  the  deep  shadows  of  the 
wood.  But  this  same  Dame  Fortune  is  a  fickle  lady,  and  soon 
forsook  them.  Bight  in  their  path  stood  a  horse,  and  beside  him 
his  rider,  a  gray-clad  soldier.  Snorting  and  plunging,  the  ani 
mal  gave  the  alarm — strangers  near — the  cavalryman  challeng 
ed  them,  and  ended  by  conducting  them  back  to  the  body  from 
which  all  three  were  stragglers.  Their  ingenuity  and  daring 
procured  them  the  honor  of  a  special  guard  during  the  remainder 
of  the  march. 

We  pass  by  the  weary  days  when  almost  famished  and  more 
than  half-starved,  they  marched  onward  beneath  the  burning 
sun  and  through  the  suffocating  dust.  At  last,  after  what  seem 
ed  ages  of  suffering,  came  the  news  that  they  were  bound  for 
Andersonville.  The  very  name  struck  terror  to  their  hearts — 
these  men  who  had  not  quailed  before  the  guns  of  the  enemy. 

"I  won't  live  a  week  at  Andersonville,  I  know  I  won't/'  said 
our  young  lieutenant. 

"Can't  help  it,"  was  the  reply  of  a  companion;  "there  seems 
to  be  no  hope  of  anything  else." 

They  knew  that  they  could  not  be  exchanged,  for  the  United 
States  authorities  insisted  that  the  colored  troops  should  be  rec 
ognized,  and  the  Confederate  States  refused  to  do  so ;  thus  the 
exchange  of  prisoners  had  been  stopped.  Escape  or  recapture 
were  the  only  chances;  the  latter  could  not  be  hoped  for,  and 
the  former  seemed  almost  impossible. 

The  order  to  halt  for  the  night  was  given ;  the  prisoners  were 
allowed  the  freedom  of  a  good-sized  pasture,  where  they  were 
yisited  by  some  young  ladies  from  the  neighborhood.  Tired  and 
hungry  as  they  were,  the  welcome  gifts  of  fruit  were  not  more 
appreciated  by  the  prisoners  than  the  humane  sympathy  of  their 
fair  enemies;  and  many  of  them  slept  the  sweeter  for  the 
thought  of  the  kind  Southern  girls.  But  of  these  our  young 
hero  was  not  one  ;  his*mental  powers  were  busily  employed ;  he 
he  must  think  over  a  method  of  escape  from  the  horrors  of  An 
dersonville. 


Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience.  489 

At  last  the  plan  was  matured  in  his  own  brain,  communicated 
to  some  trusty  comrades,  and  put  into  operation.  If  we  may 
believe  the  romancers,  it  is  not  a  pleasant  thing  to  be  buried 
alive;  still,  Lieut.  Bailey  preferred  it  to  a  Southern  prison-pen, 
and  was  determined  to  try  it.  The  "grave"  was  therefore  dug, 
due  caution  being  exercised  to  avoid  arousing  suspicion;  being 
"tried  on"  by  the  proposed  occupant,  it  was  pronounced  a  good 
fit,  and  he  settled  himself  in  it,  two  hours  before  daylight — 

"  No  useless  coffin  inclosed  his  breast, 

Nor  in  sheet  nor  in  shroud  they  wound  him, 
But  he  lay  like  a  warrior  taking  his  rest, 
"With  no  martial  cloak  around  him." 

A  canteen  served  him  for  a  pillow,  boughs  and  grass  for  a 
coverlet;  a  tin  cup,  inverted  over  the  nostrils  and  mouth  and  an 
improvised  air-hole  allowed  him  to  breathe  more  freely  than 
would  otherwise  have  been  possible;  the  earth  which  had  been 
removed  was  replaced  upon  the  branches,  or  distributed  among 
the  neighboring  bushes;  finally,  stalks  of  blackberry  were  cut 
and  stuck  in  the  earth,  which  had  previously  been  carefully 
covered  with  grass.  Nothing  had  been  forgotten;  linen  maps 
of  the  country  and  a  pocket  compass  were  in  his  covering; 
rations,  scant,  it  is  true,  but  the  most  plentiful  to  be  obtained, 
were  stowed  away  above  his  head,  just  beneath  the  surface;  an 
ingeniously  contrived  opening  permitted  air  to  be  renewed. 
Heavily,  yet  more  heavily  pressed  the  weight  of  the  earth  above 
him ;  numbed,  almost  paralyzed  by  the  pressure,  he  dared  not 
move  a  muscle,  lest  he  disturb  the  surface  of  the  ground  so  care 
fully  arranged  above  him ;  and  succeeding  the  burning  heat  of 
a  Southern  July  came  the  chill  almost  of  death. 

Ages  upon  ages  passed  away,  and  into  the  grave  of  the  living 
man  came  a  few  faint  rays  of  daylight.  But  now  came  an  even 
greater  anxiety  than  before ;  had  anything  altered  the  appear, 
ance  of  this  spot  of  ground  since  his  friends  arranged  it,  so 
as  to  suggest  to  the  captors  that  something  was  wrong?  At 
every  sound  above  him  he  would  have  trembled,  if  motion  had 
not  been  so  dangerous;  for  discovery  meant  certain  death. 

Footsteps  came  near — whose  were  they  ?  The  friendly  words 
soon  reassured  him : 

"All  right,  lieutenant;  lie  low;  good  bye." 

It  was  the  last  opportunity  that  his  friends  could  have  to  bid 
him  farewell ;  but  for  a  long  time  yet  he  must  indeed  "  lie  low." 


490 


Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience. 


Backward  and  forward  and  all  around,  it  seemed  to  him,  were 
passing  soldiers.  Finally,  the  footsteps  became  regular ;  it  was 
the  measured  tread  of  the  column  inarching  off ;  only  a  little 
while,  now,  and  this  terrible  waiting  would  be  over. 

Slowly  passed  the  seconds;  each  one  longer  than  its  prede 
cessor,  because  nearer  to  the  end.  At  last  all  is  still.  No,  there 
is  a  movement  of  the  earth  above  his  head;  then  a  crunching 
sound.  A  grunt  of  satisfaction  betrays  the  marauding  hog  that 

has  devoured  the  ra 
tions  hidden  just  un 
der  the  surface.  Cau 
tiously  raising  his 
head,  he  finds  that 
there  are  two  white 
children,  accom 
panied  by  a  negro 
woman,  in  the  past 


ure.  Then  a  slight 

shower     drives 

them    to     shelter, 

and  he  is  about  to 

emerge    from    his 

hiding-place  when 

a  loud    clatter    of  The  Resurrection. 

horse's  hoofs  along  the  neighboring  road  causes  him  to  subside 

into  mother  earth  again.     Three  cavalrymen  are  riding  hard  to 

overtake  the  main  column;  why  they  should  be  behind  does  not 

bother  him;  they  are  not  after  him. 

Let  us  follow  the  stragglers,  and  find  out  what  the  Eebs  knew 
of  the  escape.  After  a  half  hour's  march,  the  column  was  halt 
ed,  and  a  roll-call  of  the  prisoners  ordered.  "One  officer  miss 
ing"  was  the  report;  and  a  patrol  was  sent  back  to  retake  him. 
Anxiously  the  captives  awaited  the  result;  a  shot,  two  shots, 
were  heard  from  the  vicinity  of  the  road;  a  sigh  was  given  to 
the  memory  of  "poor  Bailey/'  who  had  escaped  Andersonville 


Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience.  491 

by  death  in  the  forest;  and  they  went  on  their  way,  to  report 
him,  when  a  special  exchange  freed  them,  as  killed. 

But,  though  buried,  Lieut.  Bailey  was  very  much  alive;  the 
shots  had  been  heard  by  him,  and  had  caused  some  alarm  ;  he 
did  not  know  until  afterward  that  they  were  fired  in  the  air  to 
frighten  his  late  fellow-prisoners  ;  but  after  the  echoes  had  died 
away,  and  no  new  ones  had  been  awakened,  he  determined  to 
leave  his  place  of  concealment,  now  rendered  untenable  by  the 
rain,  which  was  falling  in  torrents.  Springing  from  his  burrow 
he  made  his  way  hastily  to  the  neighboring  woods.  But  here 
was  a  new  cause  of  alarm — a  human  form  near  him.  But  he 
could  hardly  believe  his  eyes  when  he  saw  it  was  clothed  in 
blue.  The  stranger  proved  to  be  one  of  the  privates  captured  at 
the  same  time  as  Lieut.  Bailey,  who  had  fallen  asleep  in  a  brush 
pile,  and  had  not  awakened  until  the  departure  of  the  guard. 

The  plan  of  the  two  escaped  prisoners  was  to  keep  to  a  gener 
al  northeasterly  course,  skirting  the  Confederate  right  flank,  and 
getting  to  the  Federal  left.  Without  food  or  arms,  such  an  at 
tempt  may  well  seem  impracticable;  but  it  must  be  remembered 
that  they  hoped  to  avoid  the  Rebel  scouts  and  foragers,  and  to 
fall  in  with  similar  parties  of  friends ;  for  food,  they  trusted  to  the 
negroes,  who  were  known  to  be  well-disposed  towards  the  blue- 
coats;  the  same  dusky  friends  must  furnish  them  with  informa 
tion  as  to  roads,  position  offerees,  etc. 

As  we  have  seen,  neither  of  the  fugitives  had  breakfasted; 
their  dinner  consisted  of  blackberries,  of  which  they  found  a 
plentiful  supply  in  the  fields,  and  muddy  water.  As  twilight 
fell,  they  began  to  think  that  supper  must  be  a  repetition  of  one 
of  the  other  meals — blackberries  or  nothing;  for  it  was  danger 
ous  to  leave  the  shelter  of  the  woods. 

But  necessity  knows  no  law;  their  keen  youthful  appetites 
soon  spurred  them  on,  regardless  of  danger;  and  they  approach 
ed  the  road.  There  was  an  alarm  before  they  had  well  quitted 
their  shelter;  the  clatter  of  hoofs  on  the  rocky  road  drove  them 
behind  a  large  bush,  whence  they  watched  a  squadron  of  South 
ern  cavalry  dash  past. 

Again  emerging  opposite  a  handsome  mansion,  they  circled 
around  the  more  pretentious  dwelling,  to  reach  the  humble  one 
in  the  rear — the  one  where  they  expected  to  be  welcome.  Nor 
were  they  mistaken.  Cautiously  making  themselves  known  at 
the  cabin,  they  were  astonished  at  the  heartiness  of  the  welcome 


492  Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience. 

they  received — they  found  that  "the  half  had  not  been  told." 

"Nebber  seed  no  Yankees  before.  Bress  de  Lord,  we's  all  jist 
waitin'  to  do  somefin'  for  you  all.  You  kin  count  on  de  darkeys, 
massa,  ebery  time." 

"But  not  on  the  whites  ?" 

"Better  not,  massa.  Dey's  all  grand  rascals.  You  all  better 
jist  'pend  on  the  darkeys  ;  dey'll  help  you  ebery  time." 

And  the  old  "aunty"  went  diligently  on  with  her  work  of 
stuffing  their  haversacks  with  the  coarse,  wholesome  food  which 
was  all  she  had.  Ascertaining  from  the  negroes  that  they  were 
about  thirty  miles  almost  directly  south  of  Atlanta,  they  con 
sulted  their  maps,  and  marked  out  their  course;  northeasterly 
to  Covington  or  Lithonia,  and  thence  westward  to  Atlanta ; 
thus  settling  more  definitely  the  plan  of  approach  which  they  had 
at  first  adopted.  Departing  at  midnight,  followed  by  the  most  fer 
vent  blessings  of  their  entertainers,  they  again  took  to  the  woods, 
guided  through  the  darkness  by  the  compass  which  had  formed 
part  of  Lieut.  Bailey's  outfit.  The  fire-flies  turned  traitors  to 
the  Southern  cause,  compelled  by  the  force  of  circumstances  to 
do  so,  and  lighted  the  face  of  the  compass  when  held  near  it 
sufficiently  to  show  the  position  of  the  needle. 

Chased  by  bloodhounds  that  had  evidently  mistaken  the  scent, 
their  knowledge  of  woodcraft  suggested  that  such  pursuit  might 
be  baffled  by  wading  down  a  stream;  and  such  was  the  way  in 
which  they  escaped.  Traveling  by  night,  they  rested  by  day, 
one  standing  guard  while  the  other  slept.  So  several  days  pass 
ed,  and  although  they  had  eked  out  supplies  by  blackberries  and 
watermelons  "confiscated"  from  the  enemy,  the  food  provided 
by  the  negroes  was  gone.  Something  must  be  done  to  obtain  a 
fresh  supply,  and  going  to  work  as  before,  they  were  even  more 
successful.  Fearful  of  arousing  suspicion  in  "the  house"  by  too 
much  excitement  at  "the  quarters,"  the  negroes  to  whom  they 
now  applied  conveyed  them  to  the  heart  of  an  orchard.  Wel 
comed  and  fed  as  in  the  first  instance,  their  hearts  were  gladden 
ed  by  the  information  that  the  Federal  cavalry  had  burned  a 
railroad  station  only  ten  miles  away  on  the  previous  night,  and 
were  hourly  expected  to  pass  by  on  the  road  they  had  just  left. 

One  of  the  negroes  was  appointed  to  guide  them  to  a  safe 
cover  where  they  could  rest  for  the  night ;  and  again,  with  well- 
filled  haversacks,  they  set  out  upon  their  journey.  But  time 
would  fail  us  to  tell  of  the  days  and  nights  of  danger  and  priva- 


Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience.  493 

tion;  when  they  unconsciously  crept  so  close  to  a  Eebel  outpost 
that  the  cracking  of  a  twig  would  have  betrayed  them;  when 
the  guns  of  Sherman,  thundering  around  Atlanta,  made  music  in 
their  ears;  when  every  moment's  silence  in  that  direction  made 
their  hearts  sink,  lest  Sherman  should  have  been  driven  back. 

It  was  the  night  of  August  1st  when,  for  the  third  time,  they 
nought  help  from  the  negroes ;  and  well  it  was  that  they  did  so. 
Squads  of  cavalry  were  constantly  scouring  the  country,  and  ad 
vance  would  have  been  almost  certain  recapture.  Kot  only  did 
the  faithful  creatures  provide  them  with  food,  but  they  found 
shelter  for  the  fugitives  in  the  straw-house.  Here  .they  passed 
two  nights;  but  not  without  danger;  for  they  could  not  tell 
when  the  straw  might  be  wanted  by  the  Confederates.  To  re 
main  here  during  the  day  was  altogether  out  of  the  question  ;  so 
a  shelter  was  constructed  in  the  woods — a  hut  that  only  close  ex- 
iimination  could  tell  from  the  neighboring  brush-heap,  whence 
had  been  drawn  the  building  materials.  But  a  storm  demolish 
ed  this,  and  they  were  obliged  to  brave  greater  danger  by 
sleeping  in  the  loft  of  one  of  the  cabins. 

This,  then,  was  their  life  for  more  than  two  weeks  ;  hiding  in 
the  woods  by  day,  sleeping  at  night  in  the  loft.  Many  were  the 
alarms  given,  but  all  proved  false,  at  least  so  far  as  our  two  fu 
gitives  were  concerned.  But  the  private  soldier  whom  Lieut. 
Bailey  had  met  in  the  woods  was  no  favorite  with  the  negroes. 
A  mere  boy  of  seventeen,  he  was  careless  in  matters  which  in 
volved  the  safety  of  all ;  and  took  no  pains  to  retain  the  affec 
tion  which  his  uniform  had  won  for  him.  They  refused,  then, 
Ao  give  him  shelter  any  longer,  and  had  procured  a  strange  ne 
gro  to  guide  him  to  the  Federal  lines.  Lieut.  Bailey  was  pros 
trated  by  illness,  and  saw  his  companion  depart,  his  only  re 
maining  hope  being  the  advance  of  the  Federals.  They  could 
not  tell  which  would  first  fall  into  the  hands  of  friends,  and  each 
charged  the  other  with  messages  to  be  sent  home. 

"De  Yankees  is  comin',"  announced  the  negroes,  one  to  the 
other,  in  feigned  dismay,  but  real  delight;  and  the  boom  of  the 
guns  only  a  few  miles  away  confirmed  the  report.  The  "family/7 
one  member  of  which  was  a  Confederate  soldier,  home  on  sick- 
leave,  took  refuge  in  the  swamps ;  but  the  negroes,  secure  in 
having  befriended  a  Federal  officer,  remained  near  their  guest  as 
long  as  they  could  find  an  excuse  for  doing  so.  At  no  time  was  he 
left  entirely  alone,  for  the  negroes  were  continually  going  back 


494  Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience. 

and  forth.  At  last,  to  the  great  relief  of  the  fugitive  family,  and 
the  equal  dismay  of  their  servants'  guest,  the  alarm  was  ascer 
tained  to  be  a  false  one.  The  Federal  guns  had  indeed  been 
heard  at  a  distance  of  three  miles,  but  it  was  only  a  comparative 
ly  small  force  of  cavalry  that  had  raided  entirely  around  them, 
and  returned  to  the  main  body. 

It  lacked  but  a  day  of  being  three  weeks  since  he  had  com 
mitted  himself  to  the  care  of  these  friends,  when  Lieut.  Bailey 
heard  some  one  appoaching  his  home  in  the  brush. 

"Don't  beskeered,  massa,"  was  the  friendly  reassurance,  "it's 
jist  me — Jim." 

Jim  was  the  one  who  had  undertaken  to  conduct  Bailey's  com 
panion  to  the  Federal  lines. 

"Did  you  get  through  all  right,  Jim?"  asked  the  officer  eager 
ly,  as  soon  as  Jim  was  within  whispering  distance. 

"Dunno,  massa;  'spec's  so,"  replied  Jim,  scratching  his  head. 

"What  do  you  mean?  Didn't  you  keep  together  until  you 
got  to  the  lines?" 

"No,  sah  ;  you  see,  massa,  dat  soldier  I  specs  is  mighty  brave, 
but  he  ain't  keerful  ;  and  I  knowed  we'd  bofe  git  cotched  if  he 
wasn't.  What  you  think  he  done?  Stole  watermelons  outer 
Mas'  Gleaton's  patch  in  broad  day,  and  he  seed  him  and  tole  de 
Eebel  cabalry.  Couldn't  do  nuffin  wid  sich  a  pusson  as  dat, 
sah." 

"Where  did  you  leave  him?"  queried  the  soldier,  aghast; 
"what  has  become  of  him?" 

"Don't  you  be  'feared,  massa ;  specs  he's  all  right  by  dis  time. 
I  jist  got  some  udder  niggers  to  take  keer  of  him.  You  see,  sah, 
I  run  away  from  my  massa,  I  did,  and  if  dey  was  to  cotch  me  it'd 
be  a  mighty  sight  wuss  for  me  dan  for  anybody  else  that  helped 
you  all." 

The  officer  mused  a  moment,  and  Jim  looked  on  in  fear  and 
trembling;  had  he  offended  the  "Yankee,"  for  whom  he  would 
have  done  anything  in  his  power  ? 

"I  kin  take  you  froo  to  de  lines,  sah,"  he  ventured  at  last; 
"  'Gaze  you's  keerful.  Won't  you  let  me,  sah?" 

"When  can  we  start?" 

"T'morrer,  sah." 

"I  must  see  Mr.  Smith  first,  and  try  and  learn  from  him  if 
there  are  many  scouts  around." 

"Massa  Smif's  mighty  strong  Secesh,  sah." 


Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience.  495 

"Never  mind  that;  I  know  how  to  overcome  that  by  some 
thing  stronger." 

Jim  evidently  could  not  comprehend  anything  stronger  than 
Mr.  Smith's  Southern  sympathies,  but  the  event  proved  that  there 
waSo  Cautiously  leaving  his  retreat  at  dusk,  Lieut.  Bailey  ap 
proached  the  house  by  the  road,  and  as  if  he  had  but  just  arrived  in 
the  neighborhood,  sent  a  note  by  one  of  the  slaves  to  ask  for  infor 
mation.  To  this  note  was  appended  the  mystic  sign  of  a  bond  that 
was  and  is  stronger  than  political  or  sectional  feeling.  The  an 
swer  came  without  delay ;  he  would  not  betray  even  the  enemy 
who  came  to  him;  and  with  a  truly  Arab  hospitality  the  strang 
er  was  received. 

Mr.  Smith  could  afford  no  information  as  to  the  movements  of 
either  army,  and  the  Federal  left  his  house  at  daybreak  to  re 
turn  to  his  brushwood  dwelling.  Now  came  the  news  that  At 
lanta  was  saved  to  the  Confederates,  that  Sherman  was  falling 
back.  The  silence  of  the  guns  seemed  to  confirm  this  report, 
and  it  was  with  a  heavy  heart  that  the  fugitive  followed  his 
guide  towards  the  retreating  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  Setting 
out  at  evening,  they  reached,  about  ten  o'clock,  a  plantation 
where  they  expected  to  get  valuable  information  from  a  negro 
who  had  recently  been  to  Atlanta  on  an  errand  for  his  master. 

But  disappointment  awaited  them  here;  the  slaves  were  not 
allowed  to  knoW  too  much,  and  there  were  many  important 
points  on  which  they  could  obtain  no  information.  They  could 
only  press  on  to  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Freeman,  whom  the  negroes 
knew  as  a  Union  man. 

Here  he  met  with  as  enthusiastic  a  welcome  as  in  any  of  the 
"quarters"  that  he  had  visited,  and  learned  that  his  late  com 
panion  had  departed  for  the  Federal  lines  only  a  short  time  be 
fore.  Not  only  was  he  welcomed  here,  but  kept  in  safety  until 
opportunity  should  offer  for  his  final  escape  to  the  army. 

At  last  they  heard  the  true  reason  for  the  silence  of  Sher 
man's  guns;  he  had  executed  the  famous  "flank  movement" 
around  the  Confederate  army,  and  had  taken  Atlanta.  As  yet 
they  could  not  learn  the  particulars,  only  that  the  city  had  fall 
en  at  last.  While  this  allayed  Bailey's  fears  as  to  the  distance 
which  he  would  have  to  travel  before  reaching  the  lines,  it  ren 
dered  his  present  position  somewhat  precarious,  for  the  retreat 
ing  Confederates  seemed  to  be  everywhere.  Most  of  the  time 
spent  at  Freeman's,  in  hiding  or  disguise;  a  little  in  the 


496  Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience. 

woods,  when  there  was  danger  of  the  house  being  searched,  and 
some  at  the  cabins  of  his  dusky  friends. 

A  couple  of  slaves  who  had  run  away  from  their  master,  and 
were  trying  to  reach  the  Federal  lines,  had  become  possessed  of 
a  carbine  which  had  once  been  the  property  of  a  Federal  caval 
ryman.  In  endeavoring,  with  his  comrades  on  the  raid,  to  ford 
the  river,  he  had  become  overpowered  by  the  force  of  the  cur- 
'rent  and  drowned.  The  gun,  at  first  considered  a  prize  by  its 
colored  owner,  became  an  elephant  on  his  hands;  it  would  be 
very  dangerous  for  him  to  be  caught  with  that  in  his  possession; 
and  he  readily  yielded  it  to  Lieut.  Bailey.  Thus  armed,  he  felt 
himself  a  match  for  a  host,  but  his  friends  would  not  suffer  him 
to  leave  them  until  the  country  was  no  longer  overrun  by  the 
butternut-clothed  stragglers. 

At  last  the  coast  was  considered  clear;  and  a  day,  or  rather 
an  evening  (Oct.  5)  was  fixed  for  his  departure.  But  the  assist 
ance  of  Jim,  as  a  guide,  was  absolutely  necessary;  and  as  Jim 
did  not  put  in  an  appearace  at  the  proper  time,  all  kinds  of 
guesses  as  to  his  safety  and  fidelity  were  hazarded.  Late  the 
next  day  he  came,  with  many  lame  excuses,  and  despite  the  re 
monstrances  of  his  friends,  the  officer  set  out  with  the  guide. 

Pressing  onward,  a  friendly  negro  cautioned  them  that  Texas 
Eangers  scoured  the  country  daily  for  deserters  and  runaway 
slaves,  and  strongly  advised  them  to  return.  Of  this,  however, 
they  had  no  notion  The  little  son  of  a  lady,  who  had  strong 
Northern  sympathies,  was  sent  on  a  reconnoissance  to  the  town 
of  Livonia,  then  three  miles  distant,  and  returned  with  the  in 
formation  that  there  were  no  soldiers  to  be  seen. 

Eelying  upon  this  intelligence,  for  they  had  received  unmis 
takable  proofs  of  the  mother's  sincerity,  the  two  pressed  onward, 
only  to  find  Confederate  pickets  posted  about  the  townj  their 
scout  had  evidently  been  careless.  Instead,  then,  of  being  able 
to  rest  here,  they  must  hasten  on  to  Decatur,  fifteen  miles  far 
ther.  There,  they  learned,  were  the  Federal  outposts;  reaching 
that  point  by  daybreak,  they  were  safe;  but  if  they  failed  to 
penetrate  to  the  Hues,  there  was  nothing  to  expect  but  a  return 
to  captivity. 

Being  so  sure,  from  the  boy's  report,  that  there  were  no  sol 
diers  at  Livonia,  they  had  advanced  somewhat  incautiously,  and 
were  almost  in  the  light  of  the  camp-fire  before  they  discovered 
all  the  truth  ;  then,  tired  as  they  were,  with  fifteen  miles  yet  to 


Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience.  497 

go,  they  had  to  make  a  wide  detour  to  avoid  discovery.     But  at 
last  the  railroad  was  safely  gained. 

Now,  a  "  tie-ticket"  is  by  no  means  a  passport  to  the  most 
•  pleasant  kind  of  traveling ;  but  the  firm  bed  of  the  road  was  bet 
ter  in  that  it  permitted  better  progress  than  the  ordinary  coun 
try  road ;  and  as  they  went  at  full  speed,  Bailey  felt  his  spirits 
rise.     Not  so  his  "  companion,  guide  and  friend." 

"  Don't  b'lieve  I  kin  git  any  farder,  sah." 

Oh,  yes,  Jim ;  we  must  go  on.  "We  must  be  at  Decatur  by  day 
break,  or  they'll  catch  us  again." 

"  Can't  help  it,  sah  ;  can't  go  on." 

But  still  he  kept  on,  nerved  to  further  endurance  by  the  reso 
lute  will  of  the  white  man.  Evading  a  picket  that  the  enemy 
had  posted  to  command  the  railroad,  by  creeping  on  all  fours 
along  the  earthen  embankment  on  which  the  camp-fire  was  built, 
they  obtained  absolute  information  that  the  Federal  pickets 
were  one  mile  from  Decatur  j  this  was  ascertained  by  Lieut. 
Bailey  marching  boldly  up  to  a  house,  almost  within  hearing  of 
the  soldiers  at  the  fire,  and  representing  himself  as  "  Capt. 
Blake,  85th  Georgia."  Much  cheered  by  this  news,  he  rejoined 
his  companion,  and  they  crept  back  to  the  railroad.  Onward 
they  went  at  full  speed,  notwithstanding  Jim's  piteous  lament 
ations,  for  which  the  soldier,  suffering  full  as  much  as  he,  had  no 
mercy.  What  were  torn  and  bleeding  feet  when  weighed  in  the 
scale  with  liberty  ? 

The  night  grew  darker  around  them,  but  the  soldier  comfort 
ed  himself  with  this  comparison.  It  did,  indeed,  seem  the  darkest 
hour  through  which  he  had  yet  passed  ;  despite  his  cheering 
words  to  Jim,  it  sometimes  seemed  doubtful  if  he  could  sustain 
himself  on  his  feet  long  enough  to  reach  the  goal;  but,  to  use  a 
proverb  of  his  own  native  Missouri,  "he  was  not  born  in  the 
woods  to  be  scared  by  an  owl,"  and  he  was  determined  to  reach 
the  Federal  lines.  The  darkness  passed  away,  and  soon  the  full 
beams  of  the  sun  were  upon  them.  They  had  passed  the  point 
where,  their  last  informant  said,  the  pickets  had  been  stationed. 
The  breastworks  are  in  sight;  painfully  they  toil  onward; 
strange  that  no  voice  challenges  them  as  they  advance!  Far 
ther  still,  but  still  there  is  none  of  the  bustle  of  the  camp 
which  the  soldier  so  longed  to  hear!  At  last  the  dreadful  truth 
broke  upon  them — the  friends  to  whom  they  had  looked  for  suc 
cor,  had 


498  Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience. 

"  Folded  their  tents  like  the  Arabs, 
And  silently  stole  away," 

leaving  the  enemy  ignorant  of  their  movements. 

In  their  exhausted  condition,  literally  footsore  and  weary, 
nothing  was  to  be  done  but  to  rest.  Selecting  a  retired  spot, 
they  made  arrangements  for  passing  the  day  there.  Of  course, 
it  was  dangerous  to  remain  ;  but  we  must  remember  that  it  was 
impossible  to  go  on. 

"Jim,  I'll  keep  guard  while  yousleep,  and  then  you  can  do  the 
same  while  I  sleep." 

"All  right,  massa ;  jus'  as  you  say,  sah." 

Never  was  command  more  willingly  obeyed,  and  Jim  had 
hardly  uttered  the  words  before  he  was  sound  asleep.  In  too 
much  pain  to  court  the  sweet  restorer,  even  if  prudence  had  not 
demanded  that  a  guard  be  kept,  Lieut.  Bailey  waited  patiently 
until  Jim  should  have  had  the  repose  so  much  needed. 

As  he  sat  bathing  his  lacerated  feet  in  a  stream  that  ran  near 
"head quarters,"  he  saw  a  boy  of  thirteen,  clad  in  a  full  Federal 
uniform,  approach,  and  then  hasten  away.  Limping  after  him, 
and  questioning  him,  our  hero  learned  that  the  Northern  forces 
had  left  sometime  during  the  night;  that  this  boy  had  been  em 
ployed  by  the  quartermaster,  and  was  friendly  to  the  Federals. 
With  many  assurances  of  secrecy  and  fidelity,  the  youth  en 
gaged  to  ascertain  if  the  Union  forces  had  left  Atlanta  yet,  and 
to  inform  the  officer  before  dark. 

The  sun  had  marked  high  noon  some  time  before  Jim  was 
awakened  from  his  slumbers,  and  Lieut.  Bailey  lay  down  to  rest. 
Many  were  the  admonitions  delivered  to  the  sentinel. 

"Now  Jim,  be  sure  and  waken  me — shake  me  well — if  you 
hear  the  least  sound  that's  suspicious." 

"Sahtain  to  do  it,  sah,"  protested  Jim,  showing  a  great 
amount  of  white  in  the  eyes  and  mouth. 

"Remember,  the  least  thing.  You  mustn't  wait  to  see  what  it 
is." 

"I  do  jis'  as  you  tell  me,  sah." 

So  Jim  was  left,  carbine  in  hand,  to  stand  guard  over  the  sol 
dier.  It  may  be  believed  that  that  gentleman  did  not  vainly 
court  slumber.  It  came,  but  not  to  stay.  Not  long  had  he  slept 
before  he  was  awakened  by  a  harsh : 

"Hello,  there !" 

Almost  in  his  ear,  it  seemed.     He  started  up,  to  find  a  rifle 


Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience.  499 

aimed  at  his  breast  by  a  "butternut."  There  was  no  time  for  in 
vestigation  as  to  the  way  in  which  this  had  occurred;  the  aim  of 
the  gun  was  too  certain  for  that. 

"Surrender/7  summoned  the  stranger,  moving  the  muzzle  of 
his  piece  a  hair's  breadth,  to  "make  assurance  doubly  sure." 

Bailey  gave  a  side  glance  and  saw  Jim  also  in  custody,  his 
guard  being  clad  in  a  full  blue  uniform.  The  "butternut"  began 
to  grow  impatient,  and  pressed  his  demand  for  a  surrender. 

"How  am  I  to  be  treated  ?" 

"As  a  prisoner  of  war,  of  course,"  was  the  unequivocal  reply. 

"Well,  I  guess  I  can't  help  it;  I'm  your  prisoner,  sir." 

Yielding  himself  up  thus,  the  soldier  turned  to  Jim  indig 
nantly. 

"Couldn't  help  it,  sah,"  pleaded  the  darkey;  "you  might 
a  knowed  I'd  fall  asleep  jis'  as  soon  as  I  got  in  de  hot  sun." 

It  was  no  use  to  be  angry  at  the  poor  fellow  trudging  along  at 
his  side,  who  would  suffer  as  much  in  captivity  as  himself,  if  not 
more;  so  he  controlled  his  disgust,  and  marched  on  with  his 
captors.  The  blue  uniform  of  one  had  at  first  puzzled  him,  but 
he  soon  learned  that  it  was  to  have  been  used  as  a  decoy,  in  case 
he  had  been  awake.  Such  was  the  admission  of  the  wearer  him 
self. 

Jim  was  closely  questioned  as  to  the  circumstances  under 
which  he  had  joined  his  fortunes  with  the  lieutenant's,  and  with 
a  sublime  disregard  for  the  truth,  averred  that  he  had  accompa 
nied  his  master  from  St.  Louis,  and  had  been  captured  with  him. 
This,  of  course,  secured  for  him  more  lenient  treatment  than 
would  have  been  his  lot  had  they  known  he  was  a  runaway 
slave. 

Singleton,  the  man  in  the  blue  uniform,  was  placed  on  guard, 
while  his  companion,  named  Fowler,  searched  the  prisoners.  As 
most  of  Lieut.  Bailey's  possessions,  aside  from  indispensables, 
had  been  bestowed  upon  the  negroes  who  had  befriended  him, 
the  search  did  not  "pan  out"  well.  His  pocket-book  was  the 
only  thing  that  suited  the  fastidious  taste  of  his  captor. 

"I'll  take  this;  you  may  keep  the  other  things  a  while  longer. 
Fix  to  go  with  us,  now." 

The  permission  to  retain  his  property  "a  while  longer"  was 

ominous  of  evil ;  where  was  he  to  go  with  his  captors  ?     On  that 

he  could  only  cogitate    as    they  marched   along;  Singleton  in 

front,  then  Jim,  then  Bailey,  while  Fowler,  armed  with  his  own 

32 


500  Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience. 

and  the  Federal's  rifle,  brought  up  the  rear.  They  had  gone 
but  a  short  distance  when  a  halt  was  called. 

"Reckon  we'd  better  turn  him  over  to  the  cavalry  and  get  him 
off  our  hands  before  dark,"  suggested  Fowler  to  his  compan 
ion,  with  a  significant  look. 

"Yes,  I  s'pose  we  had/'  replied  the  other,  nodding  in  answer 
to  the  meaning  in  Fowler's  look. 

The  prisoner  ventured  to  ask  where  the  cavalry  post  was,  and 
was  told  that  it  was  "at  the  Circle/'  but  of  this  latter  term  no 
explanation  was  given. 

Many  were  the  expressions  which  led  the  officer  to  the  belief 
that  Fowler  did  not  intend  to  treat  him  as  a  prisoner  of  war. 

"I  can  hardly  limp  along,  sir,"  the  captive  complained; 
"can't  you  go  a  little  more  slowly  ?  My  feet  are  very  painful." 

"Never  mind,"  was  the  not  very  consoling  reply ;  "they  won't 
hurt  you  much  longer." 

After  such  an  answer,  given  with  brutal  indifference,  there 
could  no  longer  be  any  doubt  of  their  intentions.  Turning  into 
the  woods,  ostensibly  for  a  short  cut  to  the  road  beyond,  the 
two  captors  drew  apart  for  consultation,  and  the  prisoners  seiz 
ed  their  chance.  To  run  was  out  of  the  question,  for  not  only 
must  they  brave  the  shots  of  their  guard,  but  the  condition  of 
their  feet  would  not  permit  the  necessary  speed.  But  they  were 
able  to  communicate  privately  with  each  other. 

"Jim,  they  are  going  to  shoot  us." 

"Is  dey,  lieutenant  ?"  responded  Jim,  rolling  up  his  eyes  in 
terror,  till  no  color  was  visible. 

"  I'm  certain  of  it,  for — how  anxiously  they  are  expecting  us  in 
St.  Louis !  We  must  write  as  soon  as  possible  to  let  them  know 
we  are  safe." 

This  sudden  turn  in  the  conversation  was  intended  to  deceive 
Fowler,  who,  suddenly  ceasing  his  conference  with  Singleton, 
cautiously  approached  the  prisoners  to  find  out  what  they  were 
saying.  Several  times  the  captors  found  it  necessary  to  deliber 
ate,  and  each  time  the  captives  seized  the  opportunity  for  pri 
vate  speech.  The  order  of  the  line  had  so  far  been  changed  that 
Lieut.  Bailey  was  second,  and  Jim  third  ;  but  the  guards  still  pre 
served  their  relative  position.  It  was  on  this  order  of  march 
that  the  officer  relied  in  planning  an  escape. 

"The  first  good  chance  I  see,"  he  said  to  Jim,  during  one  of 
the  short  conferences,  "I  will  spring  on  the  man  in  front  of  me, 


Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience.  501 

and  if  I  don't  get  his  gun,  I'll  hold  on  to  it  so  that  he  can't  shoot 
with  it.  The  man  behind  you  will  shoot  me  then,  unless  you 
keep  him  from  it.  Will  you  let  him.  shoot  me,  Jim?" 

"Ob  cose  not,  sah.  When  I  see  you  cotch  hold  ob  d at  front 
man's  gun,  I  reckon  I'd  better  git  at  dis  yere  one,  hadn't  I?" 

"That's  just  what  I  want  you  to  do,  Jim.  I'll  let  you  know 
when  I  am  going  to  try  it.  Will  you  do  it?" 

"Sahtain  to  do  it  sah,  sahtain,"  answered  Jim,  emphatically. 

But  though  the  answer  appeared  reassuring  enough,  Lieut. 
Bailey  did  not  feel  as  entirely  confident  of  his  companion  as  he 
might  have  done  if  he  had  not  known  so  lately  an  instance  of 
Jim's  "sahtain  to  do  it."  A  sentinel  who  slept  on  his  post  at  a 
time  of  such  danger  could  hardly  be  considered  reliable. 

Nevertheless,  he  felt  that  he  had  much  to  gain,  little  to  lose; 
perhaps  only  a  few  moments  of  life;  and  he  was  determined 
to  trust  his  last  chance  to  Jim.  He  quickened  his  pace,  limping 
so  rapidly  as  to  almost  overtake  Singleton,  when  the  word 
came : 

"Halt!" 

Of  course,  the  proposed  action  must  be  postponed,  and  forever. 
Disencumbering  himself  of  one  rifle,  and  carelessly  playing  with 
the  other,  Fowler  addressed  the  o nicer : 

"My  friend,  this  is  as  good  a  place  to  die  as  any  man  could 
wish." 

"Let  me  remind  you,  sir,  of  your  promise  to  treat  us  as  pris 
oners  of  war." 

"Well,  this  is  the  way  we  treat  prisoners  of  war." 

Then  followed  a  long  harangue  on  the  thieving  propensities 

of  the  "d d  Yankees."     It  was  in  vain  that  the    prisoner 

urged  that  the  privates  often  committed  outrages  without  the 
knowledge  of  the  officers,  who  could  not  be  responsible;  that 
this  was  too  great  a  punishment;  that  he  would  give  Fowler  pa 
pers  that  would  insure  protection,  and  so  forth. 

«D n  your  papers,"  was  the  surly  reply;  "they  don't  pro 
tect  nothing;  Gen.  Sherman's  don't.  There  ain't  no  use  arguing; 
you've  got  to  die  !" 

An  appeal  to  Singleton  seemed  to  arouse  his  sympathy  and 
sense  of  justice;  but  he  was  evidently  only  a  subordinate,  and 
dare  not  make  any  objection  to  the  execution  of  the  prisoners. 

"Give  me  one  of  the  carbines  and  one  round  of  ammunition,  and 
let  me  try  for  my  life  with  the  best  marksman,"  suggested  the 


502  Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience. 

soldier,  at  last,  as  a  forlorn  expedient  at  a  desperate  moment. 

"D n  his  impudence,"  exclaimed  Fowler;  and  replied,  in 

a  low  tone,  to  Singleton,  who  had  asked  what  disposition  they 
should  make  of  the  body  :  "Bury  it,  of  course." 

"But  we  haven't  got  anything  to  dig  with." 

"O,  there's  lots  of  leaves,  and  then  there's  the  hogs." 

The  prisoner  overheard  this  cheering  bit  of  the  programme, 
and  feeling  that  there  was  no  more  hope,  tried  to  prepare  him 
self  for  death.  But  there  thronged  into  his  mind  visions  of  the 
battle-field,  of  the  soldier's  death  amid  the  rattl'e  of  musketry  and 
the  roar  of  cannon.  He  could  not  die  in  this  way  ;  he  must  es 
cape.  Half  unconsciously  he  turned  his  head,  to  see  what  chance 
might  remain  to  him. 

"He's  getting  ready  to  run." 

"Let  him,  if  he  likes  it  better  that  way,  answered  Fowler; 
"he  can't  run  far." 

"Will  you  give  me  twenty  paces?"  asked  the  prisoner,  forget 
ful  of  his  torn  and  bleeding  feet. 

"No." 

"Ten,  then?" 

"Not  one.  We'll  just  give  you  two  minutes  to  pray,  and 
then—" 

The  pause  was  more  significant  than  words.  The  prisoner 
kneeled,  but  his  thoughts  had  not  left  the  earth  so  entirely  that 
he  did  not  see  the  two  rifles  immediately  leveled  at  his  breast. 
They  intended  to  shoot  him  during  the  time  that  they  had  ac 
corded  him  for  prayer.  He  sprang  to  his  feet  in  an  instant. 

"You  promised  me  two  minutes  to  pray  in." 

"Time's  up.     Kneel  down  there,"  was  the  savage  answer. 

Bending  his  knee  again,  as  if  to  obey  the  command,  he  leaped 
backward,  and,  turning,  ran  unsteadily  through  the  woods. 
Scarcely  had  he  turned,  before  the  report  of  Fowler's  rifle  was 
heard  in  his  very  ear,  its  hot  breath  felt  upon  his  cheek  ;  then, 
so  closely  following  that  it  seemed  the  echo  of  the  first,  Single 
ton's  weapon  was  discharged.  He  had  taken  a  zigzag  course, 
deeming  it  safer  than  one  more  direct ;  but  it  proved  of  no  avail; 
as  this  second  ball  whistled  on  its  short  course  of  barely  fifteen 
feet,  he  felt  in  his  arm  and  through  his  body  a  sharp  pang;  then 
he  had  literally  "  bitten  the  dust."  Not  in  its  usual  figurative 
sense,  however,  is  the  saying  to  be  taken;  he  was  not  dead,  al 
though  grievously  wounded;  for  the  ball,  penetrating  through 


Lieut.  Bailey1  s  Experience. 


503 


breast  and  right  shoulder,  had  passed  through  the  body  and 
right  lung.  Springing  up  immediately,  he  rushed  on,  unmind 
ful  of  the  pain,  unmindful  of  the  blood  gushing  from  the  ragged 
wound,  unmindful  of  everything  but  the  hope  of  liberty  and  the 
fear  of  being  recaptured.  As  he  rises,  a  third  shot  carries  his 
cap  from  his  head.  Now  he  considers  himself  safe  from  farther 
wounds,  for  they  have  not  had  time  to  reload  ;  but  still  a  fourth 

shot,  harmless 
as  the  first, 
whistles  by. 
Whence  it 
comes,  he  can 
not  tell. 

He  knows 
that  he  cannot 
long  endure; 
his  lacerated 
feet  are  noth 
ing  in  this  race 
for  life;  he 
could  disre- 

A  Short  Shrift.  gar(j  tne  p^ 

could  make  them  carry  him  towards  liberty,  but  he  knows  that 
he  will  soon  be  faint  from  loss  of  blood.  Yet  his  flying  steps  car 
ry  him  onward,  despair  lending  strength  to  the  fainting  body 
and  increasing  the  distance.  Hope  rises  in  his  heart.  But  ter 
rible,  then,  is  the  sound  of  footsteps  upon  the  dry  leaves  behind 
him.  They  are  pursuing!  How  long  can  he  hold  out? 

"O — lieutenant — won't  you  please — sah — wait  fer  me,  sah?" 
calls  a  familiar  voice  in  gasps. 

He  halts  to  wait  for  his  fellow  fugitive.  The  others  are  no 
where  in  sight. 

"  Eeckon  they  concluded  not  to  come;  neber  seen  anything 
done  so  quick  in  all  my  bawn  days,  sah  ;  you  was  done  gone  be- 
faw  dey  could  say  '  Jiff/  " 

"  Didn't  they  chase  me?" 

"No,  sah;  you  was  too  quick  for  dat;  you  was  done  gone  be- 
fawdey  know'd  what  you  was  a  gwine  fer  to  do.  Dey  shot  after 
you." 

"  I  know  that— they  hit  me." 

**  Did  it  hurt  you,  sah?" 


504  Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience. 

"Yes,  I'm  afraid  I'm  very  badly  wounded,  indeed.     Sec  here." 

"Seed  you  fall,  sah,  but  you  was  up  so  quick  I  thought  you 
jist  stumbled.  O  Lord,  neber  saw  anyt'ing  so  quick  in  all  my 
bawn  days !" 

It  became  necessary  now  to  exercise  caution  in  planningtheir 
route.  Their  late  guard  would  naturally  expect  that  they 
would  press  on  towards  Atlanta ;  hence,  they  had  better  take 
exactly  the  opposite  direction.  The  friendly  woods  sheltered 
them  until  dusk,  and  afforded  a  much  needed  rest  to  the  wound 
ed  man.  Twilight  came,  and  although  he  could  hardly  move, 
he  knew  that  in  the  woods  he  could  not  survive  until  morning; 
so,  supported  by  his  faithful  Jim,  who  had  many  times  asked 
forgiveness  for  his  one  act  of  carelessness  he  bent  his  feeble 
steps  towards  a  cottage  near  by. 

"lam  an  enemy,  badly  wounded,"  he  began. 

"  It  don't  make  any  difference  who  you  are,"  was  the  reply  of 
the  lady  who  opened  the  door,  as  she  perceived  his  condition; 
"  Come  right  in,  and  let  us  help  you." 

His  story  was  briefly  told  as  the  ladies  dressed  his  wounds 
and  made  him  as  comfortable  as  possible.  The  news  soon  spread 
and  Jim  was  dispatched  by  night  to  Atlanta  for  aid.  On  the 
day  after  his  escape  his  eyes  were  gladdened  by  the  sight  of  a 
body  of  Federal  soldiers,  escorting  a  surgeon  and  an  ambulance. 
Three  prisoners  were  in  the  train,  and  these  were  brought  before 
the  wounded  officer. 

"  Do  these  look  like  the  men  that  captured  you,  lieutenant  ?" 

His  eye  passed  from  face  to  face,  but  all  were  unfamiliar.  The 
prisoners  were  much  relieved  at  his  failure  to  recognize  them. 

"They  didn't  want  to  let  us  pass  them,  so  we  brought  them 
along.  Pickets,  they  say." 

The  party  soon  set  out  ;  but  our  hero  had  not  yet  seen  the  last 
of  his  captors.  As  they  rode  along,  a  single  rifle-shot  was  heard. 
The  commander  of  the  guard,  which  was  a  hundred  and  fifty 
strong,  immediately  sent  a  detachment  in  search  of  the  bush 
whackers.  They  returned  without  prisoners,  but  described  two 
men  whom  they  had  chased  for  some  distance;  Bailey  recog 
nized  them  as  Fowler  and  Singleton. 

Through  the  long  months  of  convalescence  we  need  not  follow 
him.  Safely  in  the  hands  of  his  friends  at  Atlanta,  he  was,  as 
soon  as  the  state  of  his  wound  would  permit,  removed  to  St. 
Louis,  where,  upon  the  recommendation  of  his  colonel,  he  was 


Lieut.  Bailey's  Experience.  505 

commissioned  captain,  although  not  physically  fit  for  active  ser 
vice  during  the  remainder  of  the  war.  Lieut.  Bailey  has  graphi 
cally,  and  in  more  minute  detail,  given  his  experiences  to  the 
public  in  a  neat  little  volume,  entitled,  "  A  Private  Chapter  of 
the  War,"  in  which  he  publishes  the  unlovely  face  of  Fowler, 
and  that  of  the  kind  lady  who  cared  for  h'im  after  being  wound 
ed,  until  the  Federals  came  to  his  relief. 


VISITING  HOME   UNDER  DIFFICULTIES. 

A  Disappointment,  to  Begin  "With — Determined  to  Go — Reluctance  of  Officer — 
The  Union  Men  of  Tennessee  —  Tinker  Dave  Beatty —  Tricking  the  Feder 
als— Capt.  Guild's  Plan— A  Friend— Dangers  of  the  Attempt— "Our"  Men— 
In  Sight  of  Home — Reception  —  Departure  —  Fate  of  his  Comrades — With 
Friends. 

WHILE  Gen.  Sherman  was  besieging  Atlanta,  the  Confed 
erates  of  course  endeavored  to  harass  the  Federal  rear 
as  much  as  possible;  and  many  were  the  attacks  upon  small 
forces  and  train-guards.  But  in  order  to  make  any  impression 
upon  the  besiegers,  it  was  necessary,  not  only  to  destroy  the  stores 
which  were  already  in  their  hands,  but  to  prevent  other  supplies 
reaching  them.  In  order  to  accomplish  this  much  desired  end, 
Gen.  Wheeler  made  a  raid  northward  into  Tennessee,  destroy 
ing  the  railroad  track  for  miles,  and  driving  before  him  small 
bodies  of  Federals  that  had  been  left  to  defend  certain  points. 
His  force  numbered  five  thousand  men,  and  of  these  he  judged 
it  necessary  to  detach  one  regiment,  the  Fourth  Tennessee  Cav 
alry,  to  attack  an  unfinished  fort  at  Tracy  City,  then  in  the 
hands  of  the  Federals. 

This  order  interfered  seriously  with  the  plans  of  some  six  or 
seven  members  of  the  regiment,  who  had  hoped  to  be  near 
enough  to  their  homes  in  Tennessee  to  pay  a  flying  visit  to  "the 
folks."  Among  these  was  one  Captain  George  Guild,  now  of 
Nashville,  but  then  of  Gallatin,  who  was  determined  not  to  be 
foiled  by  any  change  in  the  plans  of  the  commanding  general. 
Accordingly,  while  the  others  were  grumbling  at  the  order 
which  took  them  directly  away  from  their  homes,  which  were  "so 
near,  and  yet  so  far,"  he  went  to  Col.  Anderson,  who  was  in  com- 
606 


Visiting  Home  Under  Difficulties.  507 

maud  of  the  regiment,  to  obtain  the  desired  leave  of  absence. 

"I  can  go  into  Gallatin  at  night,  and  leave  it  at  night.  And 
then,  too,  perhaps  I  can  get  hold  of  some  information  that  may 
prove  to  be  valuable/' 

"I  don't  know,"  said  the  colonel,  doubtfully,  shaking  his  head; 
"I'm  afraid  its  pretty  certain  that  you  can't  do  it.  You'll  either 
be  killed  or  captured." 

"I'll  risk  it,  Colonel,  if  you'll  only  give  me  leave  from  the 
regiment." 

But  the  colonel  held  firmly  to  his  own  opinion  of  the  hazard 
of  the  expedition;  and  it  was  only  after  a  long  argument  that 
he  could  be  brought  to  give  a  reluctant  consent.  Once  having 
won  it  for  himself,  Capt.  Guild  lost  no  time  in  asking  it  for  his 
companions;  and  as  the  size  of  the  party  would  rather  diminish 
the  danger,  Col.  Anderson  was  readily  prevailed  upon  to  give 
the  desired  permission  to  the  whole  party.  No  time  was  lost  in 
preparation;  and  that  very  night  the  little  party  set  out  on 
their  march. 

The  command  was  in  the  Sequatchie  Yalley,  whither  it  had 
been  ordered  almost  immediately  after  the  fight  at  Strawberry 
Plains ;  it  was,  therefore,  necessary  for  them  to  cross  a  spur  of 
ithe  Cumberland  Mountains.  This  they  did,  proceeding  by  way 
of  Cookeville,  to  Crossville.  Though  Tennessee  was  nominally 
&  Confederate  state,  there  were  many  strong  Union  men  within 
her  borders;  just  as,  in  some  of  the  states  that  did  not  secede, 
there  were  thousands  of  Secessionists.  In  such  cases,  those  who 
differed  in  politics  from  the  majority  of  their  neighbors  often 
suffered  severely,  not  from  the  troops  alone,  but  from  the  malice 
of  those  who  had  been  esteemed  as  friends.  To  so  great  a  length 
did  this  persecution  sometimes  go,  that  the  victims  of  it  were 
driven  from  house  and  home,  to  find  a  shelter  in  the  brush  that 
bordered  the  prairie-stream,  or  in  the  caves  and  fastnesses  of 
the  mountains.  Of  course,  such  men  had  no  mercy  for  those 
whose  partisans  had  driven  them  to  this  kind  of  life,  and  to  the 
horrors  incident  to  ordinary  warfare  was  added  another — guer 
illa  life,  bushwhacking,  or,  to  give  it  the  name  claimed  for  it, 
partisan  warfare. 

Among  the  Union  men  of  Tennessee  who  were  thus  driven 
from  their  homes,  sworn  to  revenge  their  outrages  upon  any 
or  all  Confederates,  there  were  many  whose  names  acquired  a 
national,  though  temporary  fame.  Among  them  was  one  whom 


508  Visiting  Home  Under  Difficulties. 

his  enemies,  and  often  his  friends,  too,  knew  as  Tinker  Dave 
Beatty;  whose  uncompromising  loyalty  to  the  United  States  and 
whose  hatred  of  what  he  considered  rank  treason,  often  led  him 
into  excesses  which  made  his  name  the  terror  and  execration  of 
the  surrounding  country.  Frequently,  as  the  little  party  of  home 
ward-hound  Confederates  journeyed  on,  they  would  be  warned 
that  Tinker  Dave  had  just  gone  that  way  with  a  body  of  his  ad 
herents;  that  the  d d  Lincolnite  Beatty  was  in  the  neighbor 
hood;  that  the  bushwhackers  were  specially  violent  of  late; 
and  so  forth.  Thanking  these  friends  for  the  kindly  warnings, 
the  Kebs  pushed  on,  utterly  disregarding  them,  except  so  far  as 
a  strict  watch  was  concerned. 

But  the  warnings  came  faster  and  yet  more  impressive;  and 
the  Confederates,  deeming  discretion  the  better  part  of  valor  in 
this  instance,  lay  by  during  the  day  and  traveled  only  at  night; 
thus  avoiding  the  man  who  made  it  his  boast  that  he  took  no 
prisoners.  But  though  their  route  was  thus  beset  with  dangers, 
they  were  not  without  enjoyment.  They  knew  that  there  were 
many  Federal  soldiers  at  home  on  furlough  in  that  part  of  the 
country,  and  resolved  to  have  some  fun  with  them,  even  if  it 
were  attended  by  considerable  risk.  Ascertaining  from  Seces 
sionist  residents  the  names  and  abodes  of  these,  they  would,  un 
der  cover  of  darkness,  ride  up  to  one  of  the  houses  thus  indicated 
and  knock  loudly.  Then  some  such  conversation  as  this  would 
occur: 

"Does live  here?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"I'd  like  to  see  him  a  moment." 

"What  do  you  want  with  me,  sir?" 

"You  belong  to  Gen.  Stokes'  command,  I  believe,  sir." 

"Yes,  I  am  home  on  furlough." 

"Sorry  for  you,  but  we  have  orders  to  scour  the  country  and 
direct  all  members  of  the  command,  wherever  we  find  them,  to 
report  to  headquarters  at  Carthage  at  once." 

"Well,  I  heard  the  Rebels  were  coming,  but  I  was  in  hopes  it 
was  a  false  alarm."  This  dolefully. 

"It's  only  too  true.  There's  some  of  them  right  near  here. 
Do  you  know  of  any  other  of  your  command  at  home  around 
here ?" 

"Yes,  there's and and ;  they  live— 

And  the   Federal  would  very  obligingly  direct  them  to  the 


Visiting  Home  Under  Difficulties.  509 

houses  of  his  comrades,  where  the  same  scene  would  be  repeat 
ed.  What  the  Feds  said  when  they  got  to  Carthage  and  found 
that  a  practical  joke  had  robbed  them  of  a  goodly  portion  of 
their  furlough,  history  does  not  relate  in  recording  profanity. 

But  they  had  now  reached  a  point  where  they  would  no  longer 
be  one  party,  for  their  homes  lay  scattered  along  the  route.  One 
of  the  soldiers,  Capt.  Grissim,  urged  that  Capt.  Guild  should  go 
home  with  him  to  spend  a  night  before  proceeding  on  his  jour 
ney,  but  the  latter,  although  still  some  distance  from  home,  in- 
isted  upon  pushing  on  without  delay.  Had  he  accepted  the  in 
vitation  so  cordially  given,  we  would  have  had  no  story  to  tell, 
for  the  next  morning  Capt.  Grissim  and  his  two  brothers  were 
shot  down,  in  their  father's  door,  in  the  presence  of  their  mother, 
by  men  dressed  in  Confederate  uniform ;  Guild  would  have 
made  the  fourth  if  he  had  allowed  himself  to  be  persuaded  to 
accompany  his  friend. 

Knowing  that  he  "would  have  to  exercise  extreme  care  in  visit 
ing  his  home,  Capt.  Guild  decided  to  send  his  negro  servant 
with  another  of  the  party,  who  lived  in  a  less  dangerous  local 
ity.  Hitherto,  all  had  made  the  journey  on  horseback,  but,  for 
the  sake  of  greater  security,  Capt.  Guild  gave  his  horse  in  charge 
to  his  servant,  and  went  forward  on  foot. 

The  difficulties  of  the  march  were  much  enhanced  by  the  ret 
icence  and  suspicion  of  the  people.  In  a  country  where  now 
one  side,  now  the  other,  was  dominant,  they  dared  not  help 
either,  lest  it  come  to  the  ears  of  the  other;  indeed,  many  of 
them  were  somewhat  in  the  situation  of  the  old  farmer  who 
lived  in  a  portion  of  the  country  similarly  overrun,  and  who 
exclaimed,  as  he  surveyed  his  pillaged  barn  and  empty  smoke 
house:  "Well,  I  haint  took  neither  side,  but  I'll  be  darned  if 
both  sides  haint  took  me."  Under  such  circumstances,  it  was 
extremely  difficult  to  find  out  what  were  the  real  sentiments  of 
the  people,  but  after  a  little  skillful  questioning  he  decided  to 
pass  as  a  deserter  from  the  Federal  army.  All  went  well,  until 
he  told  his  story  to  a  farmer  named  Walton,  whom  he  hoped  to 
prevail  upon  to  set  him  across  the  river.  This  man  was  keener- 
eyed  than  his  acquaintances,  and  showed,  by  his  quizzical  smile 
that  he  more  than  half  disbelieved  the  story.  Under  the  cir 
cumstances,  feeling  sure  that  he  would  not  betray  the  trust  re 
posed  in  him,  Capt.  Guild  said: 

"  O,  I  reckon  I  might  as  well  own  up.     I  can  confide  in  you, 


510  Visiting  Home  Under  Difficulties. 

I'm  sure.    You  will  protect  a  Southern  man,  I  know." 

"Well, I  reckon  so.     You're  a  Reb,  ain't  you,  sir?" 

"  Yes;  I'm  trying  to  make  my  way  to  Gallatin,  to  see  my  fam 
ily." 

"  Come  along  home  with  me,  and  have  supper  and  a  good 
night's  rest;  you're  right  about  it;  you  can  trust  me,  sure's  my 
name's  Walton." 

"  I  can't  stay  all  night,  thank  you,  but  I'd  be  much  obliged  if 
you'd  give  me  a  lift  that  far." 

"Well,  get  in." 

The  soldier  got  into  the  ox-cart,  which  formed  the  farmer's 
primitive  vehicle,  and  after  a  due  amount  of  shouting,  the  pa 
tient  beasts  landed  them  at  the  desired  spot. 

"  Mother,  this  gentleman  is  a  Confederate  that  wants  to  go  to 
Gallatin  to  see  his  folks.  What  do  you  think  of  it  ?" 

"  Well  I  don't  know;  I'd  hate  to  have  anybody  belonging  to 
me  try  to  do  it,  sir;  that's  all." 

"But  why;  is  there  any  special  danger  just  now?" 

"  The  place  is  heavily  garrisoned,  they  say,"  answered  the 
farmer,  "and  they're  on  the  look  out  for  an  attack,  so  they've 
got  every  point  guarded  close — pickets  everywhere,  and  scouts 
all  over  the  country." 

"And  that  ain't  the  worst  of  it,  sir,"  chimed  in  the  old  lady; 
"there's  that  Nicklen  that's  in  command  there;  they  say  he 
murders  every  Confederate  soldier  he  can  capture,  and  every  one 
that  shelters  them.  If  he  was  to  find  out  that  you  had  been 
there,  your  family  would  pay  mighty  dear  for  your  visit,  even  if 
you  got  away  safe  yourself." 

This  was  unexpected  to  the  soldier,  who  had  looked  for  dan 
ger  to  himself,  but  not  to  others.  However,  so  confident  was  he 
that  he  could  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  Federal  pickets  and 
garrison,  that  after  a  few  moment's  consideration,  he  decided 
to  make  the  desperate  attempt.  Accordingly  he  signified  this 
determination  to  the  farmer,  who  shook  his  head  gravely,  but 
did  all  in  his  power  to  assist  him  on  his  journey.  The  two 
left  the  house  a  little  before  sundown,  and  proceeding  to  the  riv 
er,  the  farmer  rowed  the  soldier  to  the  opposite  side,  landing  him 
at  a  point  some  sixteen  miles  from  Gallatin. 

Capt.  Guild  was  now  in  a  country  which  he  knew  thoroughly, 
and  where  he  was  acquainted,  either  actually  or  by  reputation, 
with  every  man  of  any  standing  in  the  community.  Upon  land- 


Visiting  Home  Under  Difficulties.  511 

ing  then,  he  decided  to  go  to  the  house  of  a  man  whom  he  knew 
to  have  been,  in  the  the  early  days  of  the  War,  a  strong  sym 
pathizer  with  the  South;  to  obtain  from  him  the  necessary  in 
formation  as  to  the  position  of  the  pickets,  etc.  The  acquaint 
ance  could  not  bo  denied  by  the  man  to  whom  he  appealed  for 
help  5  but  the  citizen  felt  less  for  the  South  than  he  did  for  him 
self,  and  evaded  all  the  inquiries  of  the  soldier.  Thus  repulsed 
in  a  quarter  where  he  had  not  looked  for  such  a  reception,  our 
hero  decided  that  his  assumed  character  would  be  more  likely  to 
be  trusted,  and  that  he  would  not  again  appear  in  propria per 
sona  until  he  should  reach  his  journey's  end.  Accordingly  he  did 
not  betray  his  real  name  even  to  the  father  of  one  of  his  com 
rades,  at  whose  house  he  endeavored  to  obtain  the  necessary  in 
formation. 

"  Good  evening,  sir.  Can  you  tell  me  if  there  is  any  Federal 
command  near  here  ?" 

"  There  are  Federal  troops  at  Gallatin.     Are  you  a  soldier?" 

"  Yes,  I  got  captured  by  some  of  Wheeler's  men,  but  got  away 
from  them;  and  now  I'm  anxious  to  reach  our  troops  again.  I 
was  afraid  I'd  have  to  go  farther  than  Gallatin." 

"  You  will  not,  now,  but  I  cannot  tell  you  how  long  the  Uni 
ted  States  troops  will  hold  the  place.  They  seem  to  be  alarmed, 
themselves." 

"  Prospect  of  active  work,  or  do  they  seem  to  be  preparing  to 
withdraw  quietly  ?" 

"  Well,  they're  getting  ready  for  an  attack,  I  expect.  They're 
strengthening  the  fortifications,  and  have  drawn  the  pickets  up 
close  to  the  town,  and  won't  let  any  one  go  in  or  out.  But  there 
were  some  scouts  just  left  here — if  you  could  overtake  them, 
they  could  tell  you  a  good  deal  more  about  it  than  I  can." 

"  How  long  a  start  have  they  got?"  inquired  the  soldier,  with 
an  interest  that  was  not  all  pretended. 

"About  fifteen  minutes.  They're  on  the  way  from  Carthage 
to  Gallatin." 

"  It  will  hardly  be  possible  for  me  to  overtake  mounted  men  j 
I  wish  I'd  come  up  a  little  sooner.  Can  you  tell  me  anything 
about  where  the  pickets  arc  ." 

The  position  of  one  post  was  described  carefully 

"  One  will  do,  thank  you.  You  see,  I  just  don't  want  to  go 
prowling  around  between  the  posts  so  late  at  night.  They  might 
take  me  for  a  spy.  But  knowing  exactly  where  one  picket  post 


512  Visiting  Home  Under  Difficulties. 

is,  I  can  make  directly  for  that,  and  give  myself  up  without  dan 
ger;  and  I'll  be  restored  to  my  own  command,  providing  it  is 
still  in  Gallatin,  as  soon  as  the  pickets  are  relieved. 

"The  scouts  were  not  riding  very  fast.  You  may  possibly 
overtake  them." 

"I  wish  I  could.  Well,  I'll  try  my  best,  anyhow.  Good 
evening." 

"  Good  evening." 

The  soldier  trudged  on  his  way,  but  did  not  make  any  special 
effort  to  overtake  the  scouts.  On  the  contrary,  he  left  the  pike 
at  a  point  some  five  miles  from  his  destination,  and  made  his  way 
through  grove  and  field  in  a  direction  parallel  to  that  of  the 
road  ;  his  intimate  knowledge  of  the  country  enabling  him  to  do 
this,  as  he  thought,  with  entire  safety.  But  so  great  was  the 
physical  exhaustion  resulting  from  six  weeks  spent  almost  con 
tinuously  in  the  saddle,  and  the  long  tramp  during  the  last  few 
hours,  that,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  he  lost  his  way  in  a  country 
with  which  he  had  been  familiar  since  boyhood.  Complete 
ly  worn  out,  the  mechanical  exercise  of  walking  was  not  suffi 
cient  to  keep  his  senses  on  the  alert;  and  three  times  here- 
turned  to  consciousness,  only  to  find  that  he  had  wandered  far 
out  of  his  way.  As  he  made  the  circuit  the  last  time,  and  re 
turned  to  a  point  on  the  pike  four  miles  from  Gallatin,  he  saw, 
in  the  east,  those  faint  gray  streaks  which  foretell  the  approach 
of  dawn. 

It  would  be  certain  death  he  knew,  if  he  were  found  so  near 
the  Federal  camp.  He  was  footsore  and  weary,  but  this  thought 
spurred  him  onward.  The  dangers  of  the  highway  were  not 
equal  to  those  of  the  daylight,  and  fearful  of  again  mistaking  his 
way,  he  struck  out  boldly  for  Gallatin  along  the  pike;  and  day 
had  not  yet  broken  when  he  came  in  sight  of  his  father's  house, 
some  three-quarters  of  a  mile  inside  of  the  corporate  limits. 

But  danger  was  not  yet  over,  though  he  had  so  nearly  reach 
ed  his  destination.  The  elevation  that  rose  between  his  pre' 
sent  position  and  the  town  was  crowned  by  a  camp-fire.  The 
soldierly  bearing  of  the  forms  that  moved  to  and  fro,  darkly 
outlined  by  the  glare  of  the  flame,  showed  that  this  was  a  pick 
et-fire.  Thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  the  ground, 
he  knew  that  the  vidette's  stand  must  be  near  his  father's  gate, 
and  fearing  that  he  might  yet  be  obliged  to  run  for  his  life,  con 
cluded  to  lighten  his  load  of  weapons  as  much  as  was  consistent 


Visiting  Home  Under  Difficulties. 


513 


with  safety.  Hiding  one  of  his  heavy  army  pistols  in  the  corner 
of  the  fence,  he  glided  cautiously  along  the  hedge  to  the  farm-yard 
fence.  Peeping  over,  he  saw  that  he  had  not  been  mistaken  in 
his  judgment  as  to  the  placing  of  the  videttes,  for  just  at  the 
farm  gate  were  two  horsemen. 

Fortunately  for  the  Confederate,  their  horses'  heads  were 
turned  away  from  the  direction  in  which  he  was  approaching, 
and  the  men  were  lying  upon  their  horses'  necks,  to  all  appear- 


Stealing  by  the  Pickets. 

ance  fast  asleep.  Stealing  noiselessly  across  the  pike,  he 
ped  past  them  unobserved,  and  was  safe  in  the  garden.  A  ligb, 
in  the  room  of  an  invalid  sister  told  him  that  some  one  was 
watching  with  her,  and  divesting  himself  of  his  boots  he  crept 
to  a  door  sufficiently  far  away  from  the  videttes,  and  knocked 
softly.  Into  the  house  we  will  not  follow  him,  leaving  the  fam 
ily  reunion  as  a  thing  with  which  strangers  have  no  business. 
'  His  brief  stay  at  the  house  was  not  altogether  tranquil.  He 
must  remain  in  hiding  from  the  servants,  for  the  negroes  were 
notoriously  friendly  to  the  United  States  officials,  and  might 
betray  him;  he  could  catch  but  brief  glances  of  his  little  child, 
for  the  two  year  old  boy  was  old  enough  to  talk,  but  too  young 
to  be  discreet.  Atone  time,  he  looked  out  of  the  window  of  the 


514  Visiting  Home  Under  Difficulties. 

secluded  room  in  which  his  mother  had  locked  him,  and  saw  the 
yard  beneath  filled  with  blue-coated  soldiery.  Anxiously  he  ex 
amined  the  one  pistol  which  he  had  retained,  to  make  sure  that 
all  the  chambers  were  loaded  ;  expecting  every  moment  to  hear 
the  noise  they  would  make  in  searching  the  house  for  the  Rebel 
whose  presence  there  might  have  been  made  known  to  them. 
But  the  clatter  of  horses'  hoofs  along  the  hard  road  was  soon 
heard,  and  as  he  saw  the  blue  uniforms  becoming  less  distinct  in 
the  darkness,  he  knew  that  his  fears  were,  for  this  time  at  least, 
groundless.  He  was  told  as  soon  as  things  were  quiet  enough 
for  any  member  of  the  family  to  venture  near  his  room,  that  they 
were  in  pursuit  of  an  unlucky  citizen  from  Wilson  county,  who 
had  gone  into  Gallatin  upon  some  private  business  and  did  not 
relish  being  impressed  to  work  on  the  forts. 

Night  came  on  and  he  was  as  yet  safe ;  but  his  feet  were  so 
sore  and  swollen  that  he  could  not  draw  on  his  boots.  Yet  it 
was  necessary  that  he  should  leave  that  very  night,  for  every 
moment  was  one  of  danger  both  to  him  and  to  his  family.  By 
wearing  a  pair  of  soft  shoes  he  was  able  to  hobble  slowly  and 
painfully  along.  With  these  shoes  in  his  hand,  he  stole  noiselessly 
from  the  house  under  cover  of  darkness  and  safely  reached  the 
field  where  he  had  left  his  pistol.  But  the  very  obscurity  which 
had  enabled  him  to  pass  the  videttes  unobserved  rendered  it  im 
possible  for  him  to  find  the  weapon  which  he  had  so  carefully 
concealed  among  the  high  weeds  in  the  fence  corner.  A  long 
search  proved  fruitless,  and  he  at  last  determined  to  remain 
where  he  was  until  the  next  night;  as  he  did  not  wish  to  aban 
don  his  pistol,  his  exhaustion  had  not  fully  vanished,  his  feet 
were  so  sore  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  travel  rapid 
ly;  and  above  all,  his  presence  here,  if  he  were  captured,  could 
not  endanger  his  family  as  his  presence  in  the  house  would  have 
done. 

Here,  then,  in  the  high  weeds  and  rank  grass  he  lay  all  that  last 
night  of  August,  1864 ;  and  the  first  September  sun  was  high  in 
the  heavens  when  he  awoke.  All  day  long  he  lay  there,  listen 
ing  as  the  enemy's  wagons  lumbered  along  the  pike  or  even 
came  for  forage  into  the  field  where  he  had  concealed  himself. 
About  two  hundred  yards  away,  as  he  learned  after  the  War  was 
over,  there  was  a  camp  of  refugee  negroes,  to  the  number  of  five 
or  six  hundred  ;  and  as  these  went  back  and  forth,  he  could  hear 
their  voices  all  day  long j  and  this  at  a  time  when  every  sound 


Visiting  Home  Under  Difficulties.  515 

was  alarming,  as  the  merest  accident  might  reveal  his  presence. 
His  haversack  had  been  well  filled  before  he  left  home,  and 
among  other  things,  contained  a  bottle  of  wine.  Between  eating, 
drinking,  and  reading  the  newspapers  which  were  also  in  it,  the 
day  passed,  and  having  duly  secured  his  pistol,  he  set  out  as  soon 
as  darkness  rendered  his  journey  in  any  way  safe.  Reaching  the 
Hartsville  pike,  he  determined  not  to  leave  the  road  for  any  rea 
son  whatever,  fearing  that  he  might  again  be  lost.  A  friend  fer 
ried  him  over  the  river,  setting  him  down  at  the  house  of  the  Mr. 
Walton  who  had  rowed  him  across  while  on  his  way  home.  The 
friendly  farmer  had  sent  for  the  negro  servant  and  horse 
which  Capt.  Guild  had  committed  to  the  care  of  a  comrade,  and 
had  hidden  them  near  his  house,  that  they  might  be  in  readiness 
for  the  soldier  on  his  return. 

"Did  you  hear  of  the  Grissim  boys'  murder?"  he  asked. 

"No, "answered  the  soldier,  aghast  at  the  words;  and  inquir 
ed  for  the  particulars. 

They  were  feelingly  given  by  the  old  man,  with  many  a  word 
of  bitter  denunciation  for  the  men  who  had  enlisted  in  the  Con 
federate  army,  only  to  desert  to  the  Federals;  using  their  gray 
uniforms  as  a  decoy  to  those  who  had  been  their  comrades,  and 
were  now  their  victims.  Nor  was  his  picture  of  the  general  state 
of  the  surrounding  country  a  reassuring  one.  All  of  the  Con 
federates  had  left  the  neighborhood  ;  not  a  man  remained  ;  while 
Yankee  scouts  were  upon  every  road  and  by-path  near.  Not 
daunted  by  the  picture  of  danger  (and,  indeed,  he  saw  no  way 
to  avoid  the  perils  thus  indicated),  the  soldier,  after  resting 
at  the  house  of  this  friend  during  the  day,  set  out  at  night  to 
wards  Lebanon,  hoping  there  to  find  some  friend  who  could  in 
form  him  of  the  position  of  the  Confederates. 

His  hopes  were  not  to  be  disappointed,  for  he  learned  from 
Col.  Anderson's  sister  that  a  portion  of  the  Fourth  Georgia  had 
gone  towards  Nashville  late  that  afternoon.  He  rode  on,  and  in 
a  short  time  reached  Seawell  Hill. 

"  Halt !     Who  goes  there  ?"  challenged  the  picket. 

"A  friend." 

"  Dismount,  friend,  advance  and  give  the  countersign." 

"  I  haven't  the  countersign.  My  name  is  George  Guild;  I  am 
captain  of  company  C,  Fourth  Tennessee  Cavalry;  I  have  been 
home  to  Gallatin  on  a  visit  and  am  anxious  to  get  back  to  my 
regiment.  You  belong  to  Gen.  Wheeler's  command,  don't  you  ? 


516  Visiting  Home  Under  Difficulties. 

"  You'll  have  to  stay  here  until  daylight  Captain,  anyhow." 
So  the  soldier  and  his  servant  slept  on  the  vidette  stand  until 
•morning,  when  Capt.  Guild  made  his  presence  known  to  the 
colonel  in  command.  But  although  he  had  thus  safely  reached  a 
portion  of  the  Confederate  army,  his  adventures  in  returning 
from  his  brief  visit  home  were  not  yet  over.  The  Georgia  regi 
ment  continued  its  march  the  next  day,  and  being  overtaken  by 
Gen.  Dibrell  with  some  three  or  four  hundred  recruits,  the  en 
tire  forced  moved  forward  for  some  distance,  and  at  night  went 
into  camp  on  the  turnpike  near  Readyville. 

But  if,  in  their  camp  protected  by  all  the  safeguards  which    a 
general  can  employ,  the  tired  soldiers  slept  soundly,  they  awoke 

"  midst  flame  and  smoke, 

And  shout,  and  groan,  and  sabre  stroke  ;" 

for  a  force  of  some  eleven  hundred  Yankees  had  literally  caught 
them  napping,  and  came  charging  down  the  turnpike  in  the  gray 
of  early  morning,  before  the  reveille  had  sounded  in  the  Confed 
erate  camp.  They  dashed  down  the  road,  their  sabres  gleaming 
in  the  faint  light  as  they  cut  down  all  who  opposed  them,  and 
rode  onward  without  staying  to  see  what  resistance  the  Eebs 
might  offer.  Capt.  Guild  and  two  companions,  seeing  that  the 
green  troops  could  not  be  depended  upon,  and  feeling  sure  that 
no  resistance  would  be  made,  quietly  mounted  and  rode  off  in  the 
direction  of  Sparta,  at  which  point  nearly  all  of  the  command  re 
ported  the  next  day  ;  very  few  having  been  killed  or  captured 
in  that  strange  attack  en  passant.  Our  Tennesseean  was  soon  ena 
bled  to  make  the  journey  from  Sparta  to  Atlanta,  where  the  main 
army  was  then  located,  and  thus  ended  a  dangerous  trip,  under 
taken  solely  for  the  purpose  of  resting  for  one  day  under  his  fath 
er's  roof,  and  seeing  once  again  the  faces  of  those  dear  to  the  sol 
dier. 


CAPTURED  BY  MOSBY. 

Congratulations — Spencer  Kifles — Congratulations  Postponed — Col.  Mosby  —  The 
Auction— A  Disgusted  Darkey — Mosby's  Defense  of  his  Men  —  On  to  Rich 
mond  —  The  Bivouac  —  Plans  for  Escape  —  A  Charming  View  —  A  Slim 
Chance — Scarce  of  Horses — A  Successful  Ruse — "  Now's  'the  Time,  Boys" — 
A  Sudden  Melee— The  Enemy  Scattered— The  Flight  — Concealment— Why 
Wash  Went  for  the  Corn  —  Why  He  Hurried  Back  —  "  Looking  out  for 
Yanks" — Finding  Them. 

IN  the  autumn  of  1864,  Capt.  W.  W.  Badger,  Inspector  Gen 
eral  of  Cavalry  in  the  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  was  order 
ed  to  accompany  in  person  a  certain  train,  numbering  about  a 
thousand  wagons,  which  was  to  convey  supplies  to  Sheridan's 
army.  Springing  into  the  saddle  just  as  the  sun  arose,  he  gal 
loped  away  in  the  direction  of  the  point  where  the  train  had 
been  parked,  nine  miles  away.  It  was  a  bright,  crisp  morning, 
and  the  keen  air  that  blew  over  the  icy  Shenandoah  was  invig 
orating  to  both  men  and  horses.  Accompanied  by  his  orderly 
and  a  colored  servant,  he  made  good  time,  and  in  an  hour  from 
the  time  of  starting  was  insight  of  the  train,  just  leaving  the  lit 
tle  village  of  Newtown. 

"You  see,  Wash,"  said  he,  turning  to  the  darkey,  who  bore 
the  name  of  the  Father  of  his  Country;  "you  see,  the  guerillas 
are  not  as  thick  as  you  thought  they  were.  Mosby  hasn't  caught 
us,  after  all  your  fears  of  it." 

"Dat  am  a  fac',  sah,"  gravely  responded  Wash  ;  "Gunnel  Mos 
by  ain't  cotched  us  yet." 

"And  he's  not  likely  to,  either,"  added  the  officer,  with  a 
laugh,  as  he  slackened  his  horse's  speed. 

They  had  now  reached  the  town,  and  riding  leisurely  through 
the  streets,  were  struck  by  the  number  of  women  who  seemed 

617 


518  Captured  by  Mosby. 

to  bo  looking  out  of  the  windows.  As  he  passed,  two  or  three 
waved  their  handkerchiefs  at  him,  and  gallantly  making  his 
best  bow,  with  his  sweetest  smile,  the  handsome  captain  blush 
ed  with  pleasure  at  the  sensation  he  appeared  to  be  making. 
Perhaps  the  keen  air  of  the  morning  was  becoming  more  genial 
with  the  rays  of  the  sun  ;  perhaps  his  trusty  steed  needed  a  lit 
tle  rest;  certain  it  is  that  he  did  not  ride  very  rapidly  through 
the  village.  But  every  town  is  passed  through  if  the  cavalier 
does  not  stop,  though  he  ride  ever  so  leisurely;  and  at  last  they 
had  reached  a  small  grocery  store  just  on  the  border  of  the  vil 
lage. 

In  this  store  were  a  few  men,  evidently  a  part  of  the  rear 
guard,  whose  caps,  embroidered  with  a  Greek  cross,  proclaimed 
them  to  be  members  of  the  Sixth  Corps.  They  wore  no  sabres, 
but  were  armed  with  revolvers  and  Spencer  repeating  rifles, 
then  recently  adopted  by  the  United  States,  and  not  in  use  in 
the  Confederate  army.  They  were  evidently  in  charge  of  anon- 
commissioned  officer,  and  as  he  made  his  appearance,  the  stripes 
on  the  sleeve  of  his  blue  blouse  showed  him  to  be  a  sergeant. 
He  respectfully  saluted  Capt.  Badger,  whom  he  evidently  rec 
ognized. 

"The  train  is  some  distance  ahead  of  you,  sergeant,"  said  the 
latter,  returning  the  salute  ;  "  you  had  better  close  up,  for  this 
is  one  of  Mosby's  favorite  beats." 

"All  right,  sir,"  answered  the  sergeant,  with  a  slight  smile. 

Captain  Badger  rode  on,  and  the  sergeant,  nodding  to  his  men, 
who  had  heard  the  warning,  sprang  upon  his  horse,  and,  with 
his  part}r,  followed  the  officer's  small  party.  There  was,  evi 
dently,  plenty  of  straggling  from  the  rearguard  of  the  train,  for 
three  other  soldiers  were  riding  just  ahead  of  them. 

Wash,  who  had  been  riding  a  respectful  distance  behind  his 
master,  happened  to  overhear  something  that  had  been  said  by 
one  of  the  sergeant's  squad,  and  urged  his  horse  onward  until 
he  was  at  the  officer's  side. 

"Marse  Cap'n,  dey's  Secesh,  shuah;  run  like  a  blacksnake  war 
after  you." 

Turning  his  head, .Captain  Badger  saw  that  the  warning  was 
only  too  true.  The  six  Spencers  that  had,  more  than  their  blue 
uniforms,  prevented  his  entertaining  any  suspicion,  were  level 
ed  at  him  ;  they  having  seen  that  the  negro  had  discovered  their 
true  character.  The  sergeant,  with  drawn  revolver,  spurred  his 


Captured  by  Mosby, 


519 


horse  on,  and  called  to  the  surprised  Federal,  authoritatively: 

"Halt— surrender !" 

There  was  no  mistaking  the  meaning  of  the  summons,  and  the 
odds  would  be  too  much  against  him  in  any  attempt  to  escape. 
The  wagon  train  could  not  be  half  a  mile  distant,  he  knew,  but 
it  was  obscured  from  view  by  an  intervening  hill.  In  order  to 
measure  the  chances  of  getting  out  of  their  clutches,  he  turned 
and  took  a  rapid  survey  of  the  scene.  High  stone  walls  lined 


"  Halt — surrender  /" 

the  road  on  either  side  j  in  front,  lay  a  creek,  bridged,  to  be  sure, 
but  that  bridge  was  held  by  the  three  supposed  stragglers  that  he 
had  observed  in  front  of  him,  and  their  rifles  were  leveled  at 
him.  His  horse  was  an  excellent  one,  but  nine  rifles  and  a  re 
volver — 

"Will  you  surrender?"  came  in  a  still  sharper  tone,  and  the 
very  muzzle  of  the  revolver  was  pressed  against  his  temple. 

"I  am  your  prisoner,  sir,"  he  replied  to  this  summons,  having 
concluded  to  consider  the  chances  of  escape  at  some  future  time, 
when  gunpowder  should  not  make  so  large  a  factor.  His  sword 
and  revolvers  were  taken  in  charge  by  the  supposed  sergeant, 
who  now  introduced  himself  as  Lieut. Whiting,  of  the  C.  S.  A. 

"We  closed  up  as  ordered,  Captain  ;  I  trust  it  was  done  prop 
erly.  I  suppose  discipline  must  be  unusually  good  on  the  favor 
ite  beats  of  Mosby/' 


520  Captured  by  Mosby. 

"Well,"  was  the  reply,  "you've  sneaked  on  me  like  spies,  in  a 
uniform  to  which  you  have  no  right;  but  maybe  my  turn  will 
come  to-morrow." 

"Your  turn  for  what — to  be  hanged  ?"  he  asked,  compressing 
his  lips  at  the  imputation  of  cowardice  conveyed  in  the  Feder 
al's  tone;  then  continued,  good-naturedly,  "you  see,  we  lay  in 
ambush  watching  for  stragglers,  and  saw  you  coming  up.  You 
were  nobler  game,  and  we  hurried  to  get  from  the  woods  to  the 
grocery  just  in  time  to  seem  like  what  you  took  us  for — strag 
glers  from  the  rearguard." 

"Do  you  belong  to  Mosby's  men,  or  to  some  other  command  ?" 

"To  Mosby's,  sir.  Just  turn  here  ;  we'll  go  along  this  creek — 
there's  a  fair  road  all  the  way — to  report  to  the  colonel,  who  is 
about  three  miles  away." 

"I  suppose  there  is  no  doubt  about  the  treatment  I  shall  re 
ceive  at  your  commander's  hand  ?" 

"I  suppose  not,  sir,  though  you  hardly  understand  that  as  I  do." 

"What  do  you  mean  ?" 

"You  see,  some  of  our  men  were  hanged  as  guerillas,  at  Front 
Eoyal,  the  other  day,  and  Col.  Mosby  has  threatened  to  retal 
iate  upon  the  first  officer  that  falls  into  his  hands,  and  as  you 
are  the  only  one  captured  since,  why— 

A  significant  pause  followed,  unbroken  by  either  of  the  offi 
cers  for  the  remainder  of  the  little  journey.  The  soldiers  follow 
ing  seemed  to  be  in  high  glee  over  their  capture  of  the  officer, 
evidently  not  in  the  least  underrating  his  importance.  Turning 
from  the  path  after  a  few  minutes,  they  found  themselves  in  the 
presence  of  about  a  hundred  men,  clad  indifferently  in  blue  and 
butternut,  but  all,  evidently,  owing  allegiance  to  one  who  stood 
a  little  apart  from  them.  This  was  the  famous  John  S.  Mosby, 
the  Virginian  partisan. 

The  prisoner's  papers  had  been  taken  from  him,  and  were 
now  handed  to  the  officer  in  command.  Looking  up  as  a  curso 
ry  examination  revealed  the  identity  of  the  owner,  he  said  in  a 
voice  that  expressed  not  a  little  satisfaction 

"Ah,  Captain  Badger,  Inspector  General  of  Sheridan's  Caval 
ry,  I  perceive.  Good  morning,  sir;  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you-, 
in  fact,  there's  only  one  man  I'd  rather  see  here,  and  that's  your 
commander.  I  suppose  you  know  that  some  of  my  men  were 
hanged  at  Front  Royal  the  other  day." 

"I  knew  of  it,  sir,  and  protested  against  the  setting  of  such  an 


Captured  by  Mosby. 


521 


example  —  one   so  suggestive   of   retaliation   by  the   enemy." 
"Hum  !     Were  you  present?" 

"I  was ;  and  regretted  very  much  that  it  was  the  men  who 
were  to  be  hanged,  and  not  the  commander." 

A  grim  smile  curved  the  yellow-brown  moustache  of  the  Con 
federate,  as  he  turned  to  Lieut.  Whiting  with  the  brief  order: 
"Search  him." 

In  accordance  with  the  usual  practice,  his  valuables,  and  even 

his  boots,  were  divided 
among  the  men  in  a  fixed 
proportion ;  the  various 
articles  being  put  up  at 
auction  to  determine  the 
value  which  should  be 
set  upon  them 

"Let's  raffle  the  nig 
ger,"  suggested  one. 

"All  right,"  responded 
a  chorus  of  voices;  "How 
much?" 

"I  reckon   about    two 
thousand,"  answered  an 
other,  scanning  him  criti- 
Col.  John  S.  Mosby.  Callv 

Confederate  money,  which  had  then  greatly  depreciated,  was 
of  course  the  standard;  and  as  the  boots  had  sold  for  six  hun 
dred  and  fifty,  and  the  watch  for  three  thousand,  this  was  an  ex 
tremely  low  estimate.  It  caused  great  indignation  in  the  breast 
of  the  person  most  nearly  concerned. 

"Fse  none  of  yo'r  go od -fur-mi in* n*  niggers,  gemmen ;  Fse 
wuff  a  heap  mo'  dan  two  thousand  dollars  in  yo'  blue-back 
money  ;  I'se  wuff  dat  much  in  greenbacks  or  gold.  I  kin  make 
de  bes'  milk  punch  in  de  country,  ef  you  all  jest  had  de  tings  to 
make  it  Out  of,  gemmen." 

There  was  a  general  laugh  at  his  appreciation  of  their  pover 
ty  ;  but  a  negro  in  attendance  on  Mosby  grew  as  indignant  at 
the  insinuation  as  Wash  had  been  at  the  low  estimate  of  his 
value. 

"You  jest  shet  up,  you  fool  nigger;  we'se  got  lots  of  good 
liquor;  jest  take  a  drink  now,  and  see  ef  it  ain't  fust-class." 

"No,  tank  you,  sah;  I  prefeh  not  to,  sah,"  answered  Wash, 


522  Captured  by  Mosby. 

with  dignity  and    courtesy    happily    blended  in    his   manner. 

''Why  don't  you  drink  with  him?"  inquired  Captain  Badger, 
in  an  undertone. 

"I  don'  want  to  drink  wid  dat  nigger,  sah;  too  much  freeder 
breeds  despise,  sah." 

Taking  his  prisoner  to  one  side,  after  these  matters  had  been 
concluded,  Col.  Mosby  handed  back  to  him  some  articles  pre 
sumably  valuable  from  association,  but  not  intrinsically  so; 
among  other  things  a  small  Masonic  pin.  With  the  mystic  sign 
which  revealed  him  to  be  a  member  of  the  brotherhood,  he  said 
quietly : 

"You  had  better  keep  that;  it  may  be  of  service  to  you  among 
my  men.  You  and  your  people  are  mistaken  in  thinking  them 
guerillas.  They  are  regularly  enlisted  men  in  the  Confederate 
army,  but  selected  from  the  various  commands  as  peculiarly  fit 
ted  for  this  kind  of  service.  We  plunder  the  enemy,  of  course  ; 
the  rules  of  war  allow  it;  but  we  do  not  go  beyond  the  rules. 
If  we  hang  prisoners,  it  is  simply  in  retaliation  for  similar  treat 
ment  of  our  men.  I  hanged  eight  men  on  the  Valley  Pike  yes 
terday  in  retaliation  for  those  of  minb  executed  at  Front  Royal. 
I  can  hang  two  for  one  as  long  as  you  are  disposed  to  keep  up 
the  game;  but  I  have  written  to  Gen.  Sheridan,  asking  him  to 
agree  in  stopping  such  barbarities.  I  can  assure  you,  sir,  it  is 
no  more  agreeable  to  me  than  to  any  other  soldier.  I  sincerely 
hope  he  will  assent  to  it." 

Captain  Badger  made  a  suitable  answer  to  this  speech,  being 
quite  won  over  to  the  belief  by  the  quiet  earnestness  of  the 
Confederate;  and  the  partisan  turned  away  to  give  orders  re 
garding  the  march.  It  was  "On  to  Richmond,"  and  with  the 
memory  of  all  the  traditions  of  Libby  that  he  had  ever  heard  re 
peating  themselves  in  his  ears,  the  prisoner  fell  into  the  place 
in  the  column  which  the  captor  designated.  Nine  other  Feder 
al  soldiers,  besides  himself  and  his  orderly,  had  been  captured 
by  various  parties  detailed  from  the  main  body  of  the  com 
mand  ;  and  these  eleven  men  were  now  to  be  dispatched  to  Rich 
mond  under  a  guard  of  fifteen.  Lieut.  Whiting  was  in  command, 
and  Mosby  himself  rode  with  the  column  for  some  distance. 

Among  the  prisoners  were  two  who  from  this  time  assume  some 
importance  in  the  story  :  McCauley,  or  "Mack,"  a  smooth-faced 
boy  of  eighteen,  whose  features  were  of  almost  feminine  delica 
cy,  and  Brown,  one  of  Blaser's  scouts.  Capt.  Badger  endeavored 


Captured  by  Mosby.  523 

to  gain  the  confidence  of  all  the  men,  in  order  that  by  co-opera 
tion  they  might  have  a  better  chance  of  escape;  and  found  that 
while  all  were  generally  reliable,  these  two,  at  least,  could  be 
depended  upon  in  any  emergency ;  they  were  ready  to  risk  their 
lives  if  half  a  chance  of  liberty  presented  itself. 

Marching  rapidly  onward,  they  bivouacked  for  the  night  in  a 
deserted  school-house,  which  had  been  prepared  for  the  recep 
tion  of  such  as  they  were.  Three  men  were  detailed  as  relief 
guard  for  the  entry-at  the  door,  all  other  openings  having  stout 
planks  securely  nailed  over  them  ;  the  remainder,  having  stood 
their  carbines  by  a  low  school  desk  which  ran  along  one  wall, 
and  laid  their  revolvers  upon  the  same  support,  were  placed 
side  by  side  upon  the  floor,  with  their  heads  just  beneath  this 
desk;  the  prisoners  were  similarly  ranged  on  the  other  side  of 
the  room,  the  feet  of  the  two  rows  of  sleepers  nearly  meeting  on 
the  central  line  of  the  floor.  The  room  was  dimly  lighted  by  a 
fire  before  the  door. 

Captain  Badger  had  taken  care  to  place  himself  between 
Brown  and  Mack,  and  warned  by  him,  they  kept  wide  awake; 
indeed,  with  them  as  with  the  other  prisoners,  the  dread  of  Lib- 
by  was  so  great  that  it  overpowered  all  desire  for  slumber.  Not 
so  with  the  guard.  "Weariness  can  snore  upon  the  flint,"  and 
they  were  veterans  enough  to  find  a  pine  floor  a  comfortable 
bed.  They  were  soon  snoring,  while  the  sentinel  dozed  over 
his  pipe. 

11  Are  you  awake,  Mack  ?" 

"Very  much  so,  thank  you,  sir." 

"And  you,  Brown?" 

"  Couldn't  sleep  if  I  tried." 

"  Have  you  thought  of  any  plan  of  escape  ?" 

"  I  think  I  know  a  good  one,  Captain,"  answered  Mack,  after  a 
moment's  hesitation;  "see  where  their  arms  are?  Now  if  we 
could  all  of  us  make  one  grand  rush  we'd  get  them,  every  carbine 
and  pistol  of  'em  and  then  I  guess  we  could  stampede  the  guard 
and  get  away." 

"  It's  pretty  risky,"  murmured  the  captain,  doubtfully. 

"  Any  plan  is  bound  to  be  risky,  sir,"  urged  the  proposer  of 
this. 

"Well,  pass  the  whisper  along  the  line,  and  see  if  the  men  are 
willing  to  try  it." 

After  a  few  minutes'    delay,  the  two    were    ready  to  report 


524  Captured  by  Mosby. 

the  result,  which  was  not  very  encouraging  to  the  daring  spirits. 

"  There  ain't  but  two  men  on  this  side,"  said  Brown. 

"And  only  one  on  this,"  added  Mack,  with  as  much  disgust  in 
his  voice  as  its  whispering  tone  would  permit. 

"Well,  it's  such  a  risky  thing  anyhow/'  decided  the  officer, 
"  but  if  they  don't  come  into  it  willingly  we  can't  urge  it  on 
them." 

Silence  reigned  once  more  supreme  among  the  prisoners,  ana 
still  the  guard  snored  on. 

"  Tell  you  what,  Captain,  I  know  how  to  do  it  now,"  said 
Mack,  excitedly,  after  a  few  moment's  thought. 

"  Sh  !  Be  careful,"  cautioned  the  officer  ;  "  they  might  hear  us 
talking  and  suspect  something.  But  what  is  the  new  plan  ?" 

"  Do  you  think  the  men  would  use  the  arms  if  they  once  had 
them?" 

"  O  yes ;  I  don't  think  they  are  fools  or  cowards  either." 

"Well,  I'll  creep  over  and  get  them  every  one." 

"  A  single  noise  or  a  false  step  would  betray  you." 

"I  know  it." 

"The  chances  are  a  thousand  to  one  against  you." 

"But  there  is  one." 

"  I  am  not  sure  of  that.  The  result  of  discovery  would  be  in 
stant  death  for  you  " — 

"  I  know  it." 

"  Perhaps  for  all  of  us.  I  don't  believe  it  can  be  done.  You 
must  not  risk  it." 

"  I'd  like  the  best  in  the  world  to  go,  Captain,  and  I  believe  I 
could  doit,  but" — 

"You  must  not,  my  boy.  It  is  impossible  for  man  to  accom 
plish  such  a  thing.  I  should  do  very  wrong  to  allow  you  to  do 
it.  Let  us  go  to  sleep  now,  so  that  if  an  opportunity  for  escape 
occurs  to-morrow  we  may  be  fresh  and  well-prepared." 

So  at  last  they  slept,  and  the  long  hours  of  the  night  passed 
slowly  away.  The  next  morning  was  wet  and  gloomy,  and  the 
column,  setting  out  early  on  the  march,  presented  anything  but 
a  cheerful  appearance.  Their  road  wound  around  the  mountain 
side,  and  as  they  reached  a  point  about  one-third  of  the  distance 
from  the  summit,  Col.  Mosby  called  Capt.  Badger's  attention 
to  the  view, 

"You  see  it's  as  good  as  a  map  of  the  country,"  he  said.  "  This 
is  a  favorite  promenade  of  mine.  I  like  to  see  the  forces  which 


Captured  by  Mosby.  525 

your  people  send  out  after  me  almost  daily.  There's  one  of 
them  now." 

"  A  part  of  my  own  regiment  ?"  exclaimed  his  unwilling  guest, 
as  he  recognized  the  familiar  badges  and  the  various  particulars 
by  which  the  accoutrements  of  different  regiments  are  distin 
guished. 

"  Is  it,  indeed  ?"  asked  the  Confederate,  with  a  slight  smile; 
"then  let  me  advise  you  to  take  a  good  look  at  them,  for  they're 
the  last  of  their  kind  you'll  be  likely  to  see  for  some  time  to 
come." 

They  paused  for  some  time  at  this  spot,  Col.  Mosby  seeming 
to  find  great  satisfaction  in  looking  at  the  force  of  Federals  which 
moved  along  beneath  not  more  than  half  a  mile  away;  mov 
ing  onward,  they  reached  the  road  running  through  Manassas 
G-ap,  a  short  time  before  noon,  and  here  the  colonel  left  them, 
saying,  as  he  bade  them  good-bye: 

"  I  reckon  all  your  chances  of  escape  or  rescue  are  about  gone, 
now,  Captain;  you're  some  distance  inside  of  our  lines." 

Passing  Chester  Gap,  descending  into  the  valley  and  moving 
toward  Sperryville,  on  the  road  to  Richmond,  their  guard  was 
reduced  to  three  men,  still  commanded  by  Lieut.  Whiting.  But 
this  diminution  of  the  guard  did  not  increase  their  chances  of 
escape,  for,  as  Mosby  had  told  them,  they  were  far  within  the  Con 
federate  lines;  they  had  only  a  general  knowledge  of  the  coun 
try  •  they  could  not  depend  upon  meeting  any  but  enemies ;  and 
each  man  of  the  escort  was  provided  with  a  double  supply  of 
arms,  while  they  were  entirely  without  weapons. 

The  eleven  prisoners  were  now  provided  with  seven  horses,  so 
that  four  of  them  must  walk  ;  and  in  order  that  each  man  might 
have  his  turn,  there  were  frequent  halts  to  enable  them  to  dis 
mount  and  change  places.  To  the  saddle  of  the  pack-horse  which 
carried  their  provisions  and  blankets,  two  extra  carbines  had 
been  strapped,  muzzle  downward,  and  fastened  to  each  were  all 
the  necessary  accoutrements.  To  gain  possession  of  these  car 
bines  might  be  a  step  towards  liberty,  and  Capt.  Badger  racked 
his  brains  to  think  how  it  might  be  done.  Could  it  be  accomplish 
ed  while  they  where  changing  horses?  Hardly,  for  then,  of 
course,  the  guards  were  always  especially  alert. 

"Do  you  see  those  carbines,  Mack?"  he  asked,  as  in  the  confu 
sion  of  the  men's  changing  places  he  found  opportunity. 

"  On  the  pack-horse  ?     Yes,  sir,"  answered  Mack,  with  a  long- 


526  Captured  by  Mosby. 

ing  gaze    at   them,   and    thinking  again    of   Libby    Prison. 

There  was  one  horse  among  the  seven  that  was  hardly  worthy 
of  the  name,  so  thin  and  broken  down  was  he;  of  course,  no  one 
wished  to  ride  this,  and  when  Mack  chanced  to  be  assigned  to  it 
there  was  no  one  to  dispute  possession.  We  say  chanced,  though 
in  fact  he  had,  by  his  apparent  modesty  in  standing  back  until 
most  of  the  others  were  mounted,  endeavored  to  effect  this  very 
arrangement.  They  had  proceeded  but  a  little  way  when  the  ani 
mal  was  perceived  to  be  lame.  With  many  expressions  of  concern, 
Mack  dismounted, and  marching  back  through  the  rain  which  was 
now  falling  in  torrents,  asked  the  officer  in  command : 

"May  I  ride  the  pack-horse,  sir?  The  one  that  they  gave  me 
seems  to  be  badly  lamed." 

The  lieutenant  looked  at  the  boy,  but  he  appeared  so  innocent, 
and  his  tone  was  so  frank  and  engaging,  that  suspicion  never 
once  entered  his  mind;  and  the  desired  permission  was  given. 
Captain  Badger  was  so  kind  as  to  assist  his  fellow-prisoner  in 
arranging  the  packs  so  as  to  allow  room  for  a  comfortable  seat 
on  the  horse  ;  a  matter  to  which  the  guards  paid  little  attention; 
their  whole  time  being  occupied  in  keeping  themselves  and  the 
accoutrements  as  dry  as  the  torrents  of  rain  would  permit. 
Mack  was  covered  by  a  huge  poncho,  which,  as  he  sat  on  the 
horse,  covered  the  packs  as  well ;  completely  concealing  the 
carbines  from  view. 

The  prisoners  formed  the  center  of  the  column,  the  three  Con 
federates  riding  in  front  and  on  their  left,  while  Lieut.  Whiting 
acted  as  rearguard.  Usually,  Capt.  Badger  rode  beside  the  lat 
ter,  but  they  were  now  so  far  within  the  Southern  lines  that  dis 
cipline  was  considerably  relaxed,  and  the  prisoners  were  allow 
ed  much  more  liberty  of  action  than  would  have  been  safe  un 
der  other  circumstances,  even  with  a  larger  guard.  It  excited 
no  wonder,  then,  when  Capt.  Badger  rode  across  to  Brown,  and, 
dismounting,  asked  him  to  tighten  the  girth.  Brown  complied, 
and  as  he  was  at  work,  Capt.  Badger  said  to  him,  in  a  tone  too 
low  to  allow  any  one  else  to  distinguish  the  words : 

uMack  has  possession  of  two  carbines  ;  get  up  by  his  side  and 
communicate  with  him.  I  will  give  the  signal — the  words, 
'Now's  the  time,  boys' — then  seize  one  of  the  carbines  and  do 
your  duty  as  a  soldier  if  you  value  your  liberty.  Tell  him  what 
the  signal  is  to  be/' 

They  rode  quietly  on  for  some  time,  the  prisoners  chatting 


528 


Captwed  by  Mosby. 


Captured  by  Mosbif.  529 

with  eacn  other  and  with  the  guard  ;  but  the  general  conversa 
tion  came  to  an  end  when  Capt.  Badger  began  a  spirited  account 
of  the  charge  of  Sheridan's  array  at  Winchester.  Night  was 
drawing  on,  and  the  shade  of  the  willow  trees  which  here  over 
hung  the  road  added  an  additional  gloom  to  the  thoughts  of  the 
men  there  present,  now  captives,  but  then  animated  by  all  the 
fury  of  the  battle.  Yet  they  almost  forgot  themselves  and  their 
present  condition  as  they  recalled  that  day  of  which  the  officer 
was  now  drawing  a  vivid  picture  in  words. 

"Just  at  that  moment,"  he  went  on,  "he  waved  his  sword  un 
til  it  flashed  like  lightning  in  the  sunshine,  and  with  the  shout, 
'Now's  the  time,  boys  !'  " — 

The  speaker  threw  himself  upon  the  Confederate  officer,  and 
grasping  him  in  a  close  embrace,  endeavored  to  obtain  his  re 
volver.  This  once  effected,  the  lieutenant  might  be  compelled 
to  act  as  guide  for  them  until  they  were  safely  out  of  the  Con 
federate  lines.  Mack  had  shot  two  of  the  guards,  and  now  turn 
ed  to  see  the  desperate  struggle  going  on  between  the  two  offi 
cers;  for  a  moment  he  hesitated,  for  there  was  considerable 
danger  of  hitting  the  wrong  man  if  he  fired  ;  but  as  they  wres 
tled  with  each  other,  the  face  of  the  Southerner  was  turned  to 
ward  him  a  moment,  clearly  seen  over  his  antagonist's  shoulder ; 
and  raising  the  carbine  for  a  third  time,  he  took  aim  and  fired. 
The  bullet  took  effect  between  the  eyes,  and  as  it  crashed 
through  the  skull  into  the  brain,  the  Confederate  fell  heavily 
forward  into  the  arms  of  whose  embrace  he  had  so  desperately 
resisted — dead.  ^ 

Brown  had  done  less  execution;  practiced  scout  as  he  was, 
and  used  to  such  emergencies,  as  might  be  supposed,  this  seem 
ed  to  be  a  more  startling  one  than  he  had  ever  experienced  or 
was  prepared  for.  He  had  indeed  fired  one  shot,  but  being 
somewhat  nervous,  had  only  wounded  the  third  guard,  who  rode 
off  at  full  speed,  firing  his  pistol  as  he  went,  to  alarm  the  coun 
try.  This,  of  course,  made  their  situation  doubly  dangerous; 
the  country  would  be  alarmed  in  an  hour,  and  men  perfectly  ac 
quainted  with  every  feature  of  it  dispatched  in  search  of  them; 
they  knew  only  the  general  outlines  of  the  district  in  which 
they  were  ;  the  enemy's  camps  could  not  be  far  off,  for  they  had 
already  passed  one  line  of  pickets,  and  might,  at  any  step  in  their 
course,  be  challenged  by  others.  They  were  well  armed  with  two 
carbines  that  had  been  on  the  pack-horse,  and  those  belonging 


530  Captured  by  Mosby. 

to  the  Confederates  that  had  been  killed ;  as  well  as  with  the  re 
volvers  of  the  three;  but  their  number  had  dwindled  as  soon  as 
the  first  shot  had  been  fired,  and  now  there  remained  only  Cap 
tain  Badger,  Mack,  Brown,  and  one  other  soldier,  and  Wash; 
the  others  had  already  scattered  over  the  country,  to  escape  to 
his  friends,  each  man  as  he  could. 

Mounting  the  best  horses,  they  immediately  struck  out  for  the 
mountain  on  their  right;  but  concluding  that  this  would  be 
the  most  dangerous,  because  the  most  natural  course  to  take, 
they  soon  turned  their  horses'  heads  directly  to  the  south,  and 
rode  straight  into  the  heart  of  the  enemy's  country.  The  fear 
of  recapture,  which  meant  certain  death,  urged  them  on,  and 
though  it  was  already  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  when  they  re 
gained  their  freedom,  they  accomplished  a  distance  of  thirty 
miles  before  the  twilight  had  finally  faded. 

Turning  sharply  to  the  right  as  soon  as  darkness  favored  their 
flight,  they  urged  their  almost  exhausted  horses  up  the  moun 
tains;  but  at  last,  wearied  out  by  the  long  journey  made  at  such 
a  rapid  pace,  the  poor  beasts  could  no  longer  climb  the  steep 
hill.  Abandoning  them  to  the  tender  mercies  of  whoever  should 
find  them,  the  riders  continued  the  ascent  on  foot,  breaking 
twigs  from  the  trees  as  they  went,  so  that  there  would  be  no 
danger  of  returning  by  the  same  route.  Just  as  daylight  was 
breaking  over  the  valley,  they  reached  the  top  of  the  mountain, 
whence  they  could  see  the  Confederate  position,  as  the  day  be 
fore  they  had  seen  that  of  their  friends. 

Creeping  into  a  friendly  thicket,  they  endeavored  to  wait  pa 
tiently  until  darkness  should  enable  them  to  continue  their 
flight.  On  a  barren  mountain  in  an  enemy's  country,  without 
food  or  water,  their  minds  filled  with  anxiety  as  to  their  im 
pending  fate,  we  cannot  wonder  that  the  day  dragged  wearily 
on.  For  days  they  remained  in  this  hiding-place,  for  when  dark 
ness  came  it  only  made  visible  the  innumerable  camp-fires  which 
dotted  the  sides  of  the  mountain  ;  while  daylight  showed  party 
after  party  of  Confederate  scouts  seeking  for  the  escaped  pris 
oners. 

Hungry  men  are  not  over  dainty,  and  when  two  days  had 
passed  since  they  had  tasted  food,  a  little  dog  that  had  strayed 
into  their  hidden  camp  fell  a  victim  to  their  necessity.  But  it 
was  by  no  means  enough  to  satisfy  their  appetites,  and  as  time 
went  on,  and  no  other  food  was  obtainable,  they  grew  desper- 


Captured  by  Mosby. 


531 


ate.     Some  one  must  venture  out  for  food,  or  they  must  starve. 

"There's  a  corn-field  down  the  road/'  suggested  one;  "Wash, 
won't  you  go  and  get  us  some  corn  V9 

"No,  sah." 

"Fd  go  myself,  only  it  would  be  suicide.  They'd  not  suspect 
you,  Wash,  as  anything  but  one  of  their  own  servants." 

But  Wash  remained  obdurate;  he  had  no  notion  of  running 
such  a  risk  alone;  it  would  have  been  different  if  there  had  been 


"  Did  any  of  you  eve?'  eat  any  negro  ?" 

a  soldier  with  him,  but,  as  had  been  said,  that  would  have  meant 
the  sacrifice  of  all  their  hopes.  A  pause  followed  the  darkey's 
refusal,  broken,  after  a  lapse  of  some  time,  by  Mack: 

"Did  any  of  you  ever  eat  any  negro?" 

Wash's  eyes  were  all  whites. 

"Don't  know  as  I  ever  did,"  answered  Brown,  taking  the  cue ; 
"is  it  good  eating?" 

"First-rate,  if  it's  not  too  fat." 

This  with  a  significant  glance  at  Wash,  who  was  as  lean  as  a 
herring. 

"I'm  awful  hungry,"  announced  Brown,  as  if  it  were  news. 

"So  am  I ;  in  fact,  I  guess  we  all  are.  We  can't  get  at  that 
84 


532  Captured  by  Mosby. 


j  rnd  I  guess  it'll  have  to  end  in  our  feeding  on  some"  — 

Mack  bent  over  and  whispered  something  to  Brown,  keeping 
liis  eyes  fixed  hungrily  on  Wash*  The  latter  shifted  his  posi 
tion  several  times,  turning  his  eyes  uneasily  from  one  to  the 
other;  but  all  felt  that  it  was  necessary  to  compel  him,  by  some 
means  or  other,  to  go  to  the  corn-field^  and  they  drew  together, 
occasionally,  with  mysterious  whispers  and  meaning  looks.  At 
last  the  poor  fellow  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  out  came 
the  words, 

"I  reckon  I  kin  git  dat  cawn,  mebbe." 

He  started  down  the  mountain-side,  alone.  ISTo  words  can  tell 
the  terror  which  thrilled  his  every  nerve  as  he  groped  his  wa?/ 
through  the  darkness;  but  worse  than  being  caught  by  the  Con 
federates,  worse  than  being  pursued  by  the  ghosts  and  witches 
which,  might  reasonably  be  supposed  to  be  abroad  in  that  lonely 
place,  at  that  hour  of  the  night,  was  the  dread  of  being  killed 
and  eaten  —  yes,  cooked  and  eaten  —  by  the  hungry  Federals 
above.  At  last  the  corn-field  was  reached  ;  behind  any  of  those 
tall  stalks  there  might  be  a  Confederate  or  a  ghost  —  equally 
probable  and  equally  terrible  suppositions;  any  one  of  those 
broad  yellow  blades,  rustling  in  the  breeze,  might  be  a  sword  ; 
but  the  necessity  of  the  case  permitted  no  delay;  hastily  gath 
ering  an  arm  load  of  the  ripened  ears,  he  almost  flew  up  the 
steep  ascent. 

"Why,  Wash,  you  came  back  in  a  hurry." 

"Knowed  you  all  was  hungry,  Massa  Cap'n." 

Tho  explanation  was  permitted  to  go  unchallenged,  as  they 
revelled  in  the  bliss  of  three  ears  of  corn  apiece. 

But  this  state  of  affairs  could  not  last  long.  Before  their 
strength  was  exhausted,  they  must  make  a  greater  effort  to  gain 
the  Federal  lines;  so,  going  still  farther  south,  they  finally 
abandoned  the  mountains  altogether;  and  having  flanked  Ear- 
ly's  army,  they  came  upon  the  Shenandoah,  twenty  miles  south 
of  his  position.  Here,  living  in  the  woods  upon  such  roots  as 
they  could  find  and  the  little  game  that  could  be  trapped  (for 
they  dared  not  fire  a  shot),  they  built  a  rude  raft,  launched  it? 
and  in  one  night  floated  forty  miles  down  the  river.  But  this 
was  too  dangerous  a  mode  of  traveling  for  the  daytime,  so  they 
took  to  the  land  again.  Having  provided  themselves  with 
horses  from  various  sources,  they  passed  themselves  off,  on  more 
than  one  party  of  Confederates,  as  disguised  scouts  "looking  out 


Captured  by  Mosby.  533 

for  Yankees  which  were  reported  to  be  abroad  in  the  country." 
Their  account  of  the  occupation  in  which  they  were  engaged 
was  a  most  truthful  one,  although  the  interviewers  did  not  see  it 
in  exactly  the  right  light;  believing  rather  in  the  "disguise" 
which  was  their  proper  dress.  Hence  they  were  permitted  to 
go  on  their  way  unquestioned,  and  finally  found  the  Yankees 
they  were  seeking;  arriving  safely,  though  footsore  and  hungry, 
at  the  Federal  lines;  the  officer,  at  least,  resolved  never  again 
to  trust  a  blue  uniform  or  a  Spencer  carbine  unless  he  knew  the 
owner  by  some  other  token. 


CHAPTER 


AKBESTING  A  SMUGGLER. 

Reasons  for  the  Trade  —  The  Efforts  of  the  Police  —  The  Military  Authorities- 
Going  it  Alone  —  A  Green  Soldier—  A  Surly  Sailor  —  A  Fine  Boat  —  The  Ar 
rest  —  A  Combat  of  Will  —  He  Concludes  to  Surrender  —  The  Lumber  Yard  — 
Completely  Vanquished. 

6C  A  LL'S  fair  in  love  and  war"  is  an  old  saying,  often  quoted 
f~\  by  those  who  adopted  means  generally  considered  ex 
tremely  unfair.  At  no  time  is  such  a  maxim  repeated  more  fre 
quently  than  during  civil  war,  when  many  things  combine  to  al 
low  of  much  deception  on  either  side.  During  our  "late  onpleas- 
antness,"such  battling  of  wits  formed  no  trifling  part  of  the  con 
test.  To  say  nothing  of  the  exploits  of  scouts  and  spies,  there 
were  many  instances.  If  the  Southern  ports  were  blockaded, 
adventurous  spirits  took  delight  in  eluding  the  vigilance  of  the 
Northern  vessels  ;  and  on  land,  many  persons  of  fair  standing  in 
time  of  peace  engaged  in  the  work  of  smuggling  medicines  and 
other  necessities  for  the  use  of  the  Confederate  Army.  Others 
again,  went  into  the  business  simply  for  the  sake  of  the  enormous 
profits  that  were  to  be  made  in  selling  goods  which  were  so  hard 
to  obtain. 

Of  course,  since  it  was  the  policy  of  the  United  States,  as  of 
every  belligerent  power,  to  cut  off  the  Confederacy  from  all  such 
supplies  from  without,  a  strict  watch  was  kept  all  along  the  bor 
der,  to  make  sure  that  no  such  contraband  trade  was  carried  on. 
In  states  which  remained  in  the  Union,  but  which,  like  Mary 
land,  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  had  many  strong  Secessionist  peo 
ple,  there  was  of  course  greater  danger  than  in  those  whose  loy 
alty  was  unquestionable;  and  in  the  three  mentioned,  the  Fed 
eral  authorities  never  relaxed  their  vigilance. 
534 


Arresting  a  Smuggler.  535 

Though,  in  spite  of  their  untiring  watchfulness,  the  work  went 
on  to  no  small  extent,  the  offenders  were  often  informed  on  by 
men  whom  they  had  trusted;  and  often,  a  piece  of  carelessness 
arising  from  long  security  would  excite  suspicion  and  lead  to 
discovery.  It  was  probably  by  the  first  means  that  the  author 
ities  of  the  city  of  Baltimore  obtained  information  of  a  gang  of 
smugglers  that,  in  the  fall  of  1864,  were  engaged  in  conveying 
provisions  and  other  supplies  from  that  point  to  the  South;  as 
the  chief  was  very  minutely  described  to  them.  The  municipal 
officials  were  further  told  that  while  this  man  was  desperate  in 
courage,  his  associates  were  by  no  means  so  determined;  and 
that  his  capture  would,  in  all  probability,  break  up  the  gang  as 
effectually  as  if  all  were  taken. 

Desiring  to  show  the  soldiers  stationed  in  the  city  what  the 
majesty  of  the  law,  unaided  by  theT^ayonet,  could  accomplish,  the 
Chief  of  Police  selected  four  of  the  best  men  on  the  force,  and  him 
self  instructed  them  to  look  for  the  man  answering  to  the  descrip 
tion,  and  to  capture  him,  dead  or  alive.  Armed  to  the  teeth, 
they  set  out;  their  revolvers  were  loaded  when  they  went;  and 
when  they  returned,  not  a  chamber  hud  been  emptied;  for  the 
smuggler  had  been  so  long  identified  with  the  criminal  classes 
that  he  probably  knew  the  face  of  every  man  on  the  police  force. 
Again  and  again  the  attempt  was  made,  but  with  no  better  re 
sult  than  at  first;  and  the  Chief  of  Police  concluded  that  the 
majesty  of  the  law  must  content  itself  with  punishing  the  pris 
oner  after  he  had  been  caught. 

The  matter  was  accordingly  handed  over  to  the  military  au 
thorities  ;  and  a  certain  young  officer,  whose  daring  courage  had 
been  often  manifested,  was  summoned  to  the  office  of  the  provost- 
marshal. 

"Sergeant  F ,  there  have  been  extensive  frauds  practiced 

upon  the  Government  by  a  gang  of  smugglers  this  fall;  and  the 
leader  must  be  captured.  This  is  the  written  description  hand 
ed  me  by  the  civil  authorities.  Study  it  well  to-night,  and  be 
ready  to-morrow  morning  to  start  out  to  capture  him.  How 
many  men  do  you  want  to  help  you?" 

"I'll  try  it  alone,  sir,  if  you  will  allow  it.  When  shall  I  re 
port  again  ?" 

"Not  until  you  have  taken  the  smuggler,  dead  or  alive,"  re 
turned  the  superior,  decisively.  "Here  are  your  written  orders, 
with  the  description0" 


536  Arresting  a  Smuggler. 

The  sergeant  returned  to  his  quarters  to  perform  the  first  part 
of  the  task  assigned  him;  and  having  made  himself  well  ac 
quainted  with  the  pen-picture  of  the  man  he  was  to  look  for, 
sallied  out,  early  the  next  morning,  on  the  quest.  Though  he  was 
in  uniform,  and  carried  the  usual  side-arms,  no  one  would  have 
thought  him  bound  on  an  important  errand,  so  carelessly  did  he 
saunter  along.  He  seemed  to  be  perfectly  unacquainted  with  the 
city,  and  not  thoroughly  used  to  the  glory  of  a  uniform  j  while 
frequently  he  viewed  the  yellow  bars  on  his  sleeve  with  no  small 
satisfaction.  All  this  was  done  to  impress  the  men  on  the  wharf 
with  the  idea  that  he  was  but  a  recent  acquisition  to  the  United 
States  Army,  and  was  not  at  all  familiar  with  the  city  of  Baltimore. 
Of  course, the  curiosity  with  which  he  scanned  the  vessels  there 
moored  was  in  strict  keeping  with  the  character  which  he  had 
assumed,  and  no  one  imagined  the  real  reason  why  he  looked  so 
closely  at  the  boats. 

He  had  gone  so  far  along  the  wharf  without  seeing  the  object 
for  which  he  was  looking  that  he  feared  he  must  make  up  his 
mind  to  return  a  baffled  report.  The  smuggler  evidently  was 
not  in  port  that  day,  and  he  would  have  to  wait  at  least  twenty- 
four  hours.  But  just  as  he  arrived  at  this  conclusion,  he  sa%  fc 
short  distance  from  him,  a  small  vessel,  on  board  of  which  was 
a  large,  muscular  looking  man  who  answered  exactly  to  his  de 
scription.  Strolling  leisurely  along,  the  soldier  looked  critical 
ly  at  the  boat;  as  any  man,  interested  in  such  things,  might  look 
at  any  vessel.  So  natural  was  his  manner  that  the  alarm  of  tho 
smuggler  was  not  aroused  $  although,  from  the  nature  of  his  bus 
iness,  he  was  always  on  the  outlook  for  an  enemy.  The  soldier, 
as  he  approached,  gave  a  friendly  nod  as  he  caught  the  smug 
gler's  eye,  and  called  out  to  him: 

"Fine  morning,  sir/' 

"Good  enough,"  growled  the  sailor,  so  gruffly  that  the  words 
hardly  reached  the  soldier's  ear. 

-"What  did  you  say,  sir  ?"  asked  the  latter,  stopping  short,  di 
rectly  opposite  the  boat. 

"I  said  it  was  good  enough  weather,"  returned  the  other,  with 
no  more  good  humor  than  before. 

"Don't  know  as  I  ever  saw  finer  fall  weather,"  continued  the 
soldier,  looking  around  him,  but  mentally  comparing  the  sailor 
with  the  description  of  the  smuggler. 

"Humph  !"  grunted  the  other. 


Arresting  a  Smuggler.  537 

"That's  a  fine  boat,  isn't  she?    she  must  be  worth  a  pile/' 

"Yes."  assented  the  sailor,  frowning  at  the  speaker.     But  the 

soldier's  admiration  of  the  boat  was  so  genuine  that  any  lurking 

suspicion  was  half  disarmed.  As  Sergeant  F examined  the 

boat,  the  eyes  under  the  darkly  over  hanging  brows  watched  him 
closely;  and  though,  when  he  stepped  on  board  he  was  not  or 
dered  to  stay  on  the  wharf,  they  still  followed  every  step.  The 
soldier  was  by  this  time  thoroughly  convinced  that  the  man  before 
him  was  the  one  he  had  been  commissioned  to  capture,  and  he 
was  determined  to  execute  his  orders  at  once.  But  a  personal 
struggle  with  that  muscular  frame  would  not  be  likely  to  result 
in  any  good  to  the  soldier's  slighter  form;  and  he  determined 
to  try  strategy  where  force  was  impossible. 

"There's  a  sight  of  vessels  out  to-day,  isn't  there?" 

"Don't  know  as  there  is." 

"The  wharf  is  black  with  wagons  and  men  and  horses.  Ain't 
business  any  brisker  than  usual  to-day  ?" 

"No  brisker  nor  no  duller  than  usual,"  returned  the  man  ad 
dressed,  with  a  shade  of  contempt  for  the  poor  greenhorn  who 
was  so  impressed  by  the  usual  amount  of  traffic. 

"That's  a  queer  looking  craft  yonder — that  black  one,  that  the 
tug  has  in  tow." 

As  the  sergeant  expected,  the  smuggler,  E ,  turned  his 

head  in  the  direction  in  which  F had  pointed.  Quick  as 

lightning  the  soldier  had  drawn  and  aimed  his  pistol. 

"  That  there's  a  coal"— 

"You  are  my  prisoner — surrender,  or  I  fire0" 

R — , —  drew  back,  and,  with  an  oath,  reached  for  his  own 
revolver. 

"Don't  you  dare  to  draw,  sir." 

"Who  in  the  devil  are  you,  anyhow,"  demanded  the  smuggler, 
hoping  to  brazen  it  out. 

"I  am  an  agent  of  the  United  States  Government,  with  writ 
ten  orders  to  take  you,  dead  or  alive.  I  intend  to  execute  them." 

"  What  are  you  to  arrest  me  for  ?" 

"You  know  very  well." 

The  smuggler  saw  that  his  first  plan  had  failed,  and  fell  back 
on  a  sort  of  bravado. 

"  I'll  not  be  taken  alive,"  he  hissed  out  from  between  his  teeth, 
as,  clenching  his  fists  angrily,  he  made  one  step  forward. 

"Stand  back — don't  advance  another  step.  Will  you  surrender 


538  Arresting  a  Smuggler. 

and  come  with    me  peaceably,  or  must  I  shoot  you  down?" 


"  All  right,  then.     I've  told  you  what  my  orders  were/' 

The  smuggler  answered  not  a  word,  and  the  soldier  waited  a 

moment,  trusting  that  he  would  decide  to  surrender.     So  they 

stood,  the  stronger  man  seemingly  fascinated  by  the  steady  gaze 

of  the  other,  as  it  is  said  a  lion  is  controlled  by  the  power  of  the 


"  DonJt  you  dare  to  draw,  sir  /" 

human  eye.  As  the  soldier  saw  that  there  was  no  sign  of  submis 
sion,  he  was  about  to  pull  the  trigger  when  a  large  freight  wag^ 
on  rumbled  by  on  the  wharf. 

"  Hello,  driver,  back  that  wagon  up  here,"  he  shouted. 

"What  for?" 

"  Do  as  I  tell  you,  or  you'll  be  the  second.  Now,  are  you  go 
ing  to  surrender  and  go  with  me  ?"  This  last  to  the  smuggler. 

"What  if  I  don't?" 

"  That  wagon  is  ready  to  take  your  body  to  the  provost-mar 
shal's." 

"Great  Scott!"  exclaimed  the  driver;  "what  are  you  going 
to  shoot  him,  for?" 

"  Those  are  my  orders.     Once  more,  will  you  come  ?" 

There  was  a  warning  click  and  a  readjustment  of  aim  which 
gave  a  dreadful  emphasis  to  the  question.  Human  flesh  and 


Arresting  a  Smuggler.  539 

blood  could   stand   it  no   longer  —  the    strain  was  too   great. 

"  Well,  I  guess  I'll  have  to  "  came  reluctantly  from,  the  smug 
gler. 

"  Hand  over  your  arms." 

"  D — n  me  for  a  fool,  I  ain't  got  any  about  me.  Do  you  think 
I'd'  a'  given  up  that  way  if  I'd  had  my  pistols  here  ?" 

It  was  a  literal  fact.  Eendered  careless  by  the  perfect  impun 
ity  with  which,  for  months,  he  had  pursued  his  contraband  trade, 
he  had  left  his  pistol-belt,  with  the  weapons,  in  the  little  cabin 
of  the  vessel.  Having  satisfied  himself  that  this  was  so,  Ser 
geant  F gave  the  order: 

"  You  go  ahead;  I'll  follow." 

By  this  means  he  was  able  to  see  the  slightest  movement 
looking  towards  escape;  while  a  word  now  and  then  directed 
the  prisoner  what  course  to  take.  But  before  they  set  out,  the 
soldier,  knowing  the  great  strength  of  the  man,  had  handcuffed 
him;  and  thus  marked  as  a  criminal,  he  could  hardly  hope  to 
escape  while  passing  through  the  streets.  Still  the  soldier  wished 
to  shorten  the  way  as  much  as  possible,  and  for  that  purpose  or 
dered  the  prisoner  to  cut  across  a  large  lumber  yard ;  a  route  by 
which  they  could  save  nearly  two  blocks. 

The  lumber  was  in  huge  piles,  separated  by  narrow  alleys. 
It  seems  strange  that  the  sergeant  should  not  have  preferred  to 
make  a  circuit,  rather  than  pass  through  this  place,  which,  from 
its  arrangement  and  seclusion,  offered  admirable  opportunities 
for  escape  ;  but  he  trusted  to  his  own  vigilance  and  activity.  The 
prisoner  had  been  on  the  alert  ever  since  his  surrender,  watching 
for  a  chance  to  give  his  captor  the  slip.  The  fact  that  the  soldier 
had  put  up  his  revolver  seemed  encouraging;  he  could  perhaps 
be  out  of  sight  before  it  could  be  drawn  and  aimed.  The  place 
through  which  they  were  now  passing  would  enable  him  to  twist 
and  turn  so  that  no  aim  could  be  taken.  Stronger  and  stronger 
grew  the  wish  for  liberty  ;  and  at  last,  as  they  got  to  the  middle 
of  the  yard,  equally  distant  from  the  street  on  either  front,  he 
darted  suddenly  around  the  end  of  a  large  pile  of  boards,  and 
into  a  narrow  passage. 

The  movement  was  as  quick  as  thought ;  and  had  the  sergeant 
been  a  heavy  man,  he  might  have  been  unable  to  follow  rapidly 
enough  to  do  any  good;  as  the  hare,  in  doubling,  gains  on  the 
hounds.  But  in  this  case,  it  was  the  hare  in  pursuit  ot  the 
hounds,  and  the  soldier  followed  close  upon  the  heels  of  the 


540  Arresting  a  Smuggler. 

smuggler.  His  sabre  flashed  in  the  sunshine  as  he  drew  it  from 
the  scabbard  and  raised  it  for  the  blow.  It  descended  heavily, 
suddenly,  upon  the  smuggler's  head  ;  and  stunned  by  the  force 
of  the  blow,  the  prisoner  fell  to  the  ground. 

Bending  over  him,  the  sergeant  found  that  the  cut,  on  the  side 
of  the  head,  was  severe,  but  not  dangerous.  He  bound  it  up  care 
fully  with  his  handkerchief,  and  helped  the  man  to  his  feet.  So 
they  went  on,  though  but  slowly  now,  to  the  provost-marshal's 
office,  the  wounded  man  making  no  further  attempt  to  escape. 
R was  duly  delivered  into  the  custody  of  the  provost-mar 
shal,  thence  to  the  civil  authorities.  Arraigned  before  the  courts, 
he  was  tried  for  violation  of  the  revenue  laws,  having  extended 
his  trips  southward  to  the  West  Indies  after  having  got  his 
goods  to  a  Southern  port;  and  returned  to  the  United  States 
with  a  cargo  of  foreign  goods  on  which  he  systematically  evad 
ed  the  duties.  He  was  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  a  term  in 
the  penitentiary.  Of  course,  the  offense  of  supplying  goods  to 
the  Confederates  could  not  be  proven,  as  the  witnesses  were 
in  the  seceded  States. 


J.. 


TWO  OF  THE  BLACK    HORSE  CAVALRY. 

Organization  of  the  Corps — Circumstances  of  One  Adventure — The  Price  of  Liq 
uor—Honor  Pledged — "As  Easy  as  Lying"— A  Part  of  the  Price— The  Kest 
of  It — An  Important  Prisoner — Gen.  Stuart's  Gallantry  Tested — He  Sees  the 
Joke — The  Corps  Disbanded. 

~V~TT"HEN"  the  probability  of  a  war  between  the  states  was 
V  V  still  a  point  upon  which  men  held  different  opinions,  an 
officer  of  the  United  States  Army  organized  a  military  body 
that  was  destined,  in  a  few  years,  to  become  famous  as  the  Black 
Horse  Cavalry.  For  a  time  it  seemed  to  be  merely  an  organi 
zation  designed  to  gratify  the  passion,  then  so  common,  for  uni 
forms  and  military  drill ;  and  it  was  not  until  April,  1861,  near 
ly  two  years  from  the  time  that  they  were  first  set  in  line,  that 
they  were  employed  in  any  work  other  than  police  duty  in  keep 
ing  order  or  preventing  a  popular  riot. 

But  it  is  not  our  object  to  trace  the  history  of  this  well-known 
corps.  Composed  of  the  flower  of  Yirginian  manhood,  and  num 
bering,  in  the  names  composing  the  roll,  more  than  one  since 
made  eminent  in  literature  or  active  life,  they  were  possessed 
by  an  adventuresome  daring  that  led  them  into  danger  where 
prudence  would  have  kept  them  safe.  It  must  be  remembered, 
too,  that  the  cavalry  is  the  part  of  an  army  which  meets  with  ad 
ventures  ;  that  the  infantry  and  artillery  do  the  heavier  work  of 
the  pitched  battles;  while  the  cavalry  is  used  in  the  numberless 
raids,  reconnoissances,  etc.,  the  history  of  which  possesses  so 
much  interest.  Then,  too,  although  the  inequality  did  not  long 
exist,  the  Southern  cavalry,  in  the  early  days  of  the  War,  stood 
out  pre-eminent;  for  the  Federals  were  notably  deficient  in  that 
arm  of  the  service. 

541 


542 


'J.wo  of  the  Black  Horse  Cavalry. 


Let  a  single  exploit  of  two  members  of  this  body  serve  as  an 
example  of  their  methods. 

"Fighting  Joe  Hooker"  had  succeeded  Burnside  in  the  com 
mand  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac;  and  the  Confederate  Gen. 
Fitzhugh  Lee  had,  with  a  brigade  of  cavalry,  crossed  the  Eap- 
pahannock  and  driven  in  the  Federal  pickets.  As  he  returned 
with  his  prisoners  to  the  left  flank  of  the  Confederate  army, 
some  of  the  members  of  the  Black  Horse  became  dissatisfied 

with  the  amount  of  adventure  which 
had  fallen  to  their  share,  and  asked 
permission  to  follow  up  the  enemy 
as  he  marched  to  Fredericksburg. 
Their  plan  was  to  pick  up  strag 
glers  or  horses,  as  opportunity  should 
invite. 

Ten  or  a  dozen  were  given  the 
desired  permission,  but  the  sport 
proved  poor;  and  when  they  had 
gone  some  distance  and  failed  to 
find  the  objects  of  their  search,  all 
but  two  concluded  to  return. 

"Come  on,  Joe,"  cried  one,  famili 
arly  known  as  Old  Blaze,  when  he 
found  that  such  was  the  purpose  of 

his  companions,  "I  don't  believe  you 
Black  Horse  Cavalryman,  -.       ,  .,,       ., 

want  to  go    back    with    them    any 

more'n  I  do." 

"You  can  just  bet  your  bottom  dollar,  I  don't.  Come  on,  boys, 
don't  go  back  yet.  There'll  be  some  fun  presently." 

"Can't  see  it,"  replied  one,  with  indifference. 

"We'll  leave  all  the  fun  to  you  and  Boteler,"  said  another,  ad 
dressing  "Old  Blaze." 

"All  right,  then  ;  if  you  want  to  give  it  up  so.     Good  bye." 

"Good  bye.     Don't  get  captured  yourselves  by  stragglers." 

And  with  this  friendly  caution  the  less  persevering  rode  away, 
while  the  two  more  venturer  -me  kept  on  their  course.  They 
had  not  gone  far  before  a  mo&c  annoying  deficiency  in  their  sup 
plies  was  discovered — there  was  not  a  drop  of  liquor  in  either 
canteen.  This  was  a  state  of  affairs  not  to  be  endured,  but  how 
was  it  to  be  remedied  ? 

"I  tell  you  what  we  can  do,"  said  Boteler  j  "Mrs.  H.  lives  up 


Two  of  the  Black  Horse  Cavalry.  543 

here  near  the  Stafford  line;  let's  go  call  on  her.  She'll  fill  our 
canteens  for  us,  I  know." 

Away  to  the  house  of  Mrs.  H.  they  accordingly  rode,  to  meet 
with  the  heartiest  of  receptions. 

"You  see,  Mrs.  H.,"  explained  Mr.  Boteler,  "Mr.  Blaisdell  and 
myself  are  out  on  a  little  scout  of  our  own.  The  rest  of  the  boys 
have  gone  on  with  Gen.  Lee's  brigade,  but  we  wanted  to  capture 
some  Yankees." 

"I'm  sure  I  wish  you  all  possible  success,"  rejoined  the  old 
lady,  politely. 

"But  there  is  one  thing  of  which  we  are  very  much  in  need — 
which,  in  fact,  we  can't  well  do  without,"  continued  Boteler. 

"Is  it  powder?  I  have  plenty  that  the  boys  got  the  last 
time  they  went  to  the  mill." 

"No,  ma'am;  in  fact,  our  canteens  are  empty,  and  if  you  have 
any  liquor  to  spare  we'd  be  very  much  obliged  to  you  to  fill 
them." 

"You  say  you  are  alone,  and  trying  to  take  prisoners." 

"Yes;  you  see  there  are  always  a  good  many  stragglers  when 
an  army  is  on  the  march,  and  we  want  to  pick  up  a  few.  l  'Tis  as 
easy  as  lying,'"  rejoined  the  soldier. 

"Then,  I  think  you're  going  into  enough  danger  for  sober  men, 
and  I'm  not  going  to  imperil  you  any  farther  by  giving  you 
liquor,"  said  Mrs.  H.,  with  motherly  firmness. 

"Mrs.  H.,  I  pledge  you  my  honor  as  a  gentleman  that  I'll  not 
let  it 4  steal  my  brains  away,'  and  I  think — I  am  sure  Blaisdell 
will  promise  as  much." 

"I  will,  most  readily." 

"And  we'll  pay  you  well." 

"Mr.  Boteler,"  exclaimed  the  lady,  indignantly,  "you  know  I 
do  not  object  because  I  wish  to  keep  the  liquor.  I  refuse  you, 
purely  for  your  own  good." 

"But  you  won't  refuse  the  kind  of  pay  we  mean.  How  would 
two  Yankees  do  for  each  canteenful  ?  You'd  take  that  sort  of 
remuneration,  wouldn't  you  ?" 

"We'll  say  three,  Joe,"  chimed  in  Old  Blaze;  "that  will  just 
be  half  a  dozen." 

"Haifa  dozen  Yankee  prisoners  for  two  canteens  of  brandy! 
I  know  you  can't  resist  the  offer." 

"If  you'll  promise  me" —  began  she,  doubtfully. 

"Can  we  do  more  than  pledge  our  honor?     We  have  already 


544  Two  of  the  Black  Horse  Cavalry. 

don<j  that,"  returned  Boteler,  as  she  paused,  doubtingly. 

So  the  canteens  were  filled  with  most  excellent  liquor,  and 
the  two  soldiers  rode  away  in  high  glee. 

"There's  no  going  back  now/'  exclaimed  Blaisdell,  exultant 
ly,  as  they  left  the  road  for  the  woods. 

"Who  wants  to  go  back?"  demanded  Boteler,  with  some  heat. 

Riding  through  the  woods,  enabled  by  their  exact  knowledge 
of  the  country  to  dispense  with  such  things  as  roads,  they  saw, 
through  the  trees,  a  small  squad  of  Federal  troops,  less  famil 
iar  with  the  lay  of  the  land  than  they,  and  hence  obliged  to  fol 
low  the  highway.     The  plan  of  attack   needed  no  discussion, 
nor  was  there  time  for  it ;  for  any  moment  they  might  themselves 
be  seen  and  attacked.     Fortunately,  they  were 
"  Two  souls  with  but  a  single  thought, 
Two  hearts  that  beat  as  one," 

and  putting  spurs  to  their  horses,  they  charged,  yelling  as  they 
went,  upon  the  Federals.  The  assailed  party  was  taken  entire 
ly  by  surprise,  and  most  of  them  did  not  stop  to  inquire  how 
many  were  attacking.  Two,  either  braver  or  worse  mounted 
than  their  comrades,  lingered  somewhat  behind,  only  for  each 
to  find  a  revolver  at  his  temple,  and  a  voice  in  his  ear  demand 
ing  his  surrender.  Yielding  to  the  necessity  of  the  case, .and 
never  once  supposing  anything  but  that  they  were  attacked  by  a 
large  force,  they  gave  themselves  up,  handed  over  their  arms 
and  dismounted. 

"You  just  wait  here  by  the  roadside  until  we  get  back/'  com 
manded  Boteler.  "It  won't  do  to  try  to  escape,  because  the 
woods  are  full  of  our  cavalry,  and  you'd  be  certain  to  be  caught 
if  you  tried  it." 

Which  statement  showed  just  what  the  young  man  meant  when 
he  told  Mrs^  H.  that  capturing  stragglers  was  "as  easy  as  lying." 
But  the  prisoners  neither  felt  nor  manifested  the  least  doubt  of 
his  truthfulness,  and  with  heavy  hearts  and  long  faces  sat  down 
by  the  roadside  to  await  the  return  of  their  captors.  The  latter 
entrusted  the  arms  and  horses  to  the  care  of  a  citizen  living  near 
by,  on  whom  they  knew  they  could  rely,  and  proceeded  on  their 
way.  The  liquor  was  not  half  paid  for  yet. 

Through  the  woods  they  again  took  their  course,  keeping  just 
near  enough  to  the  road  to  see  without  being  seen.  They  had 
not  gone  far  when  they  spied  the  rearguard  of  a  cavalry  force,, 
leisurely  wending  its  way  along.  *» 


Two  of  the  Black  Horse  Cavalry.  545 

"They're  going  pretty  slow,  Blaze;  suppose  we  hurry  'em  up 
a  little." 

"All  right.  G-et  a  little  behind  them,  so  they  won't  guess 
there  are  only  two  of  us." 

In  an  instant  they  had  begun  to  put  the  plan  into  execution. 
With  rapidly  repeated  yells,  to  give  idea  that  there  was  a  much 
larger  force,  they  charged  upon  the  rearguard,  "hurry  ing  them  up 
a  little."  Two,  however,  fell  into  their  hands,  and  were  prompt 
ly  disarmed.  Fortune  favored  them,  that  day,  for  they  had  not 
gone  far  when  they  descried  through  the  trees,  another  Federal 
soldier,  riding  slowly  and  alone  along  the  roadside. 

There  was  a  hurried  whispered  consultation  as  to  what  had 
best  be  done,  as  a  result  of  which  Blaisdell  was  left  in  charge 
of  the  two  prisoners,  while  Boteler  rode  alone  towards  the  Fed 
eral,  who  evidently  had  no  suspicion  that  an  enemy  was  near. 
Pleasant  thoughts  of  bygone  and  future  times  were  perhaps 
soothing  the  brain  under  the  blue  cap,  when  suddenly  came  the 
words: 

"Halt!     Surrender,  or  you  are  a  dead  man." 

He  instinctively  made  a  motion  towards  his  holsters,  but  his 
hand  was  stopped  as  he  heard  the  ominous  click  with  which  the 
Confederate  warned  him  that  he  could  not  escape. 

"Yez  hev  got  the  drrop  on  me,  sor,"  he  said,  with  a  rich 
brogue,  as  he  handed  over  his  arms  and  dismounted;  "it  never 
intered  me  head  that  any  of  yous  might  be  near." 

He  was  duly  escorted  to  the  point  where  Blaisdell  was  await 
ing  the  return  of  his  companion.  Here  a  council  of  war  took 
place. 

"  I  reckon  we'd  better  go  back  and  get  the  others,  don't  you?" 

"  Oh,  they're  not  there." 

"What's  the  reason  they're  not?" 

"They've  been  rescued,  or  else  escaped.  They  didn't  believe 
what  you  told  them  about  the  woods  being  full  of  our  men." 

"  Didn't  they  though  ?     What'll  you  bet  ?" 

"Most  anything.  We  might  as  well  go  back,  though,  for  it's 
getting  late,  and  we  musn't  get  cut  off." 

Back  they  accordingly  went,  and  much  to  Blaisdell's,  and  per 
haps  to  Boteler's,  surprise,  found  the  first  prisoners  they  had 
captured  patiently  awaiting  their  return.  But,  as  the  former  had 
said,  it  was  growing  late,  and  they  ought  not  to  risk  being  cut 
off  from  their  command;  besides,  they  had  as  many  prisoners  as 


546  Two  of  the  Black  Horse  Cavalry. 

they  could  attend  to,  perhaps  more ;  there  would  be  little  chance 
of  taking  any  more  that  night ;  so,  all  these  considerations  being 
duly  weighed,  they  decided  to  return. 

"  Hello,  Johnnie  "  called  Blaisdell,  as  they  met  a  small  boy; 
"how  are  you?" 

"  First  rate,  sir  ;  how  are  yon  ?" 

"  Oh,  prime.     How's  your  uncle  ?" 

"He  was  well,  the  last  time  we  heard  from  him.  He  went  to 
Richmond  a  week  ago," 

"  Yes,  I  heard  of  it.     All  well  down  at  the  house  ?" 

"Yes,  sir;  they're  all  right  busy  now,  getting  supper  for 
some  soldiers." 

"Soldiers?     What  kind  ?" 

"  Oh,  they  are  Fed's  Cavalry,  they  are.  There  ain't  any  more 
of  our  men  around  now." 

"  How  many  are  there  ?" 

"  How  many  at  our  house  ?     Three." 

"  All  mounted  ?" 

"Yes,  sir;  all  got  good  horses." 

"  All  right;  you  wait  here  for  us,  won't  you  ?  and  don't  tell 
any  one  that  you  have  seen  us." 

"All  right,  sir." 

"  We  must  have  those  horses,  Joe." 

"  But  what  under  the  sun  are  we  to  do  with  these  five  men 
while  we  go  and  get  them  ?" 

"  Couldn't  we  leave  them  at  Mrs. 's  until  we  get  through  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  reckon  that  would  be  the  best  thing  we  can  do/' 

Accordingly,  riding  up  to  the  house  of  the  lady  mentioned, 
they  asked  her  if  she  could  accommodate  them  and  their  prison 
ers  with  supper. 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  do  so,  gentlemen,  but  you  will  have  to  keep 
a  sharp  lookout,  I  fear*  Mr.  A.  and  Mr.  B.  are  here,  and  I've 
heard  that  they  have  taken  the  oath.  I'm  not  sure  how  true 
the  rumor  is,  but  it  is  best  to  be  on  the  safe  side,  so  I  thought  I'd 
warn  you  in  time." 

"Thank  you.  And  can  you  manage  to  delay  supper  a  little 

while?  We  wan't  to  go  up  to  Sam  J 's,  and  would  like  to 

have  the  prisoners  kept  until  we  return." 

"  Certainly  I  can  delay  serving  supper  as  long  as  you  wish; 
but  there  is  no  one  here,  you  know,  to  act  as  guards." 

"  We'll  make  A.  and  B.  do  it,  oath  or  no  oath." 


Two  of  the  Black  Horse  Cavalry.  547 

The  prisoners  were  ordered  to  dismount  and  go  into  the  house ; 
and  while  Boteler  hid  the  horses  and  the  arms  they  could  not 
otherwise  dispose  of,  Blaisdell  called  the  two  men,  suspected  of 
loyalty,  aside. 

"  Gentlemen,  I  can't  pretend  to  say  how  true  it  is,  but  we  have 
heard  that  you  have  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United 
States  Government ;  now  Mr.  Boteler  and  I  are  obliged  to  go 
down  the  road  a  piece,  and  we  cannot  conveniently  take  our  pris 
oners  along.  Here  are  two  loaded  carbines.  You  will  stand 
guard  over  those  five  soldiers  until  we  return  ;  and  if  they  escape, 
you  will  find  yourselves  lodged  in  Castle  Thunder  before  you 
are  many  days  older.  I  suppose  we  may  rely  on  you?" 

The  two  civilians,  well  knowing  the  character  of  the  men  with 
whom  they  had  to  deal,  assented  to  their  demands  ;  and  the  two 
Confederates  departed  to  capture,  if  not  the  three  cavalrymen, 
at  least  their  horses. 

Boteler  entered  at  the  front  door  of  the  house,  and  was  greet 
ed  with  the  sight  of  the  arms  which  the  soldiers  had  left  in  a 
corner  of  the  hall.  Blaisdell,  flanking  the  house,  entered  at  the 
rear,  and  both  opened  different  doors  of  the  sitting-room  at  the 
same  moment.  As  the  Federals  saw,  standing  directly  opposite 
in  the  doorway,  a  man  in  full  Confederate  uniform,  they  started 
to  their  feet,  and  sprang  towards  the  hall  for  their  arms,  only  to 
find  a  similar  apparition  confronting  them  there. 

"You'd  better  surrender  without  any  fuss,  gentlemen  ;  you 
see  for  yourselves  you  are  disarmed  and  surrounded." 

In  fact  there  was  nothing  else  to  be  done,  for  with  strange 
carelessness,  or  a  feeling  of  complete  security,  they  had  not  even 
their  pistols.  One  of  them  proved  to  be  the  best  game  they  had 
yet  brought  down,  for  he  was  a  courier  with  valuable  dispatches 
Hastily  securing  the  men,  arms  and  horses,  the  Confederates 
returned  to  relieve  the  two  civilians  whom  they  had  posted  as 
guards  over  the  other  prisoners  ;  and  found  that,  alarmed  by  the 
threat  of  Castle  Thunder,  they  had  not  violated  the  promise  that 
had  been  exacted  of  them.  Then,  with  their  prisoners,  they  set 
out  for  camp.  Passing  the  house  of  Mrs.  II.,  they  stopped  a  few 
moments. 

"Here  are  your  prisoners,  Mrs.  H.;  eight  of  them.  Where  shall 
we  put  them  ?" 

"  Eight?     Why,  that's  two  more  than  you  promised,"  she  an 
swered,  smiling.    I  haven't  room  for  so  many,  and  besides,  may- 
35 


548 


Two  of  the  Black  Horse  Cavalry. 


be  they'd  get  away.  You'd  better  take  them  to  camp,  I  reckon, 
and  keep  them  for  me.  "Will  you  be  so  kind  ?" 

"  O,  certainly.  At  least,  we'll  turn  them  over  to  Gen.  Stuart, 
who  is  always  ready  to  do  anything  for  a  lady.  We  couldn't  do 
it  very  well  ourselves." 

So  they  rode  on  to  the  Confederate  camp  ;  but  finding  them 
selves  safely  within  the  lines,  and  being  very  tired  with  the 
long  day's  ride,  they  stopped  for  the  night,  with  their  pris 
oners,  at  a  house  they  knew  to  be  occupied  by  Southern  people 


A  Repast  Disturbed. 

Early  the  next  morning  they  were  again  on  the  road,  and  long 
before  noon  had  reported  to  Capt.  Eandolph,  in  command  of  the 
Black  Horse  Cavalry. 

"  Take  your  prisoners  to  G-en.  Stuart's  headquarters,"  directed 
that  officer. 

Stuart  listened  attentively  to  their  story,  his  blue  eye  spark 
ling  with  delight  as  they  recounted  the  cavalier-like  adven 
tures;  then,  when  they  had  concluded,  he  twirled  his  huge  mous 
tache  a  moment,  and  laughing  heartily,  said  : 

"  Well,  it's  the  first  time  I  ever  knew  liquor  entitled  to  be  put 
on  the  credit  side." 


Two  of  the  Black  Horse  Cavalry. 


549 


Such  was  one  of  the  exploits  of  two  members  of  the  Black 
Horse  Cavalry.  Story  after  story  might  be  told  of  them;  but  we 
have  chosen  this  as  showing  the  singular  daring  of  the  men,  as 
well  as  the  good  fortune  which  so  often  attended  their  courage. 
The  command  did  good  service  throughout  the  war;  and  when 
the  surrender  of  Appomattoxtook  place,  they  made  every  effort 
to  reach  Joe  Johnston  in  North  Carolina,  but  were  stopped  on 
the  way  by  the  intelligence  that  he,  too,  had  surrendered  his 
army.  Then,  the  corps,  which  had  been  organized  under  the 
laws  of  the  United  States  by  an  officer  of  the  Federal  Army,  and 
which  had,  before  he  became  a  Confederate  General,  transferred 
its  allegiance  to  the  State  of  Virginia,  disbanded,  and  the  men 
returned  quietly  to  their  homes. 


Gen.  J.  Eu  B.  Stuart. 


DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  ALBEMAHLE. 

Torpedoes — The  Albemarle  —  Lieut.  Cushing's  Plan — The  Expedition — Precau 
tions  Adopted— The  Journey — Defenses  of  the  Earn — The  Attack — Confusion 
— The  Launch  —  Disabled — Federals  Captured — Lieut.  Cushing's  Narrow  Es 
cape — Senseless  on  the  Shore — Hears  of  His  Own  Death — Creeping  Away — 
Difficulties — The  Swamp  Road — An  Astonished  Darkey — A  Satisfactory  Re 
port — A  Prize — Floating  Down  the  Roanoke — Perplexed  Marines  —  A  Sur 
prise — Honor  Claimed  by  Another  Man — The  Claim  Disproved. 

WHEN,  during  the  War  of  1812,  Fulton  and  some  other 
Americans  of  kindred  genius  put  forth  certain  inventions 
designed  to  disable  the  enemy's  ships  without  directly  giving 
battle,  every  one  was  horrified  at  the  idea.  To  destroy  the  vessel, 
even  of  an  enemy,  in  such  an  underhand  manner,  could  surely 
be  no  better  than  assassination  would  be  considered  in  time  of 
peace.  But  times  change,  and  the  people  with  them.  What  was 
dubbed  an  infernal  machine,  a  diabolical  contrivance,  in  1812? 
became,  forty  years  later,  in  the  hands  of  the  Eussians,  a  regular 
ly  recognized  engine  of  war;  and  during  the  "War  between  the 
States  in  our  own  country,  the  torpedo  was  considered  as  per 
missible  as  the  musket  of  the  sharpshooter. 

There  was  indeed  a  necessity  for  something  of  the  kind,  the 
science  of  naval  architecture  having  progressed  so  far.  It  was 
essential  that  the  Confederate  States  should  not  receive  supplies 
from  abroad  or  send  her  own  products  to  foreign  markets.  The 
Southern  ports,  then,  were  blockaded  by  Northern  vessels; 
many  fights  took  place  between  the  blockaders  and  the  Confed 
erate  men-of-war;  gradually  the  vessel  became  better  calculated 
at  once  to  resist  injury  and  to  inflict  it ;  and  the  waters  were 
filled  with  iron-clads?  rams  and  gunboats. 

Among  all  the  vessels  belonging  to  the  Confederacy,  there 
560 


Destruction  of  the  Albemarle. 


551 


vas,  perhaps,  no  other  whose  name  was  so  well  known  as  the 
Ubemarle.  Stationed  for  some  time  in  the  North  Carolina 
ivaters,  she  was  lying  in  the  Roanoke,  opposite  Plymouth,  when, 
in  the  autumn  of  1864,  a  young  naval  officer,  Lieut.  W.  B.  Gush 
ing,  studied  out  a  plan  for  her  destruction.  Submitting  it  to  the 
Rear  Admiral  and  the  Navy  Department,  the  excellence  of  the 
device  was  at  once  recognized,  and  every  effort  ordered  to  be 
made  for  its  execution.  Lieut.  Gushing  had  been,  during  the 
summer  and  earlier  fall,  in  command  of  one  of  the  sixteen  ves 
sels  used  to  keep  the  ram  blockaded  in  the  Roanoke;  but  he  was 
now  detached  from  this 
service,  and  sent  to  New 
York,  to  procure  what 
ever  might  be  necessary 
for  the  success  of  his  plan. 
Before  the  application 
of  steam  as  a  motive  pow 
er  on  water  had  become 
general,  the  picket  duty 
of  the  fleet,  in  time  of 
war,  was  performed  by 
marines  who  rowed  from 
one  point  to  another,  as 
their  brethren  on  shore 
rode.  This,  of  course, 
required  considerable  la 
bor,  which  was,  by  Fulton's  famous  invention,  rendered  un 
necessary;  and  the  picket  launch  has  almost  universally  su 
perseded  the  older  boat.  Resembling  in  size  the  launch  of  a 
large  man-of-war,  it  is  provided  with  a  compact  engine,  and  by 
its  size  is  admirably  calculated  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  the 
enemy  on  such  an  occasion  as  that  which  we  are  about  to  de 
scribe. 

Many  men  were  anxious  to  take  part  in  the  expedition,  and 
the  volunteers  for  that  purpose  numbered  several  times  as  many 
as  could  be  accepted.  From  among  these,  Lieut.  Gushing  se 
lected  six  officers  and  seven  seamen,  who  were  all  known  to  him 
as  well  qualified  for  the  purpose.  On  the  night  of  October  26th, 
1864,  they  set  out  upon  their  perilous  undertaking,  only  to  give 
up  the  idea,  for  that  night,  in  a  very  short  time.  The  picket 
launch  ran  aground,  and  it  was  only  after  considerable  doiay 


Lieut.   W.  B.  Gushing. 


552  Destruction  of  the  Albemarle. 

and  with  no  small  difficulty  that  she  was  again  set  afloat;  it 
was  then  too  lute  in  the  night  to  think  of  going  onward,  and 
they  returned  to  the  Monticello. 

But  though  the  first  attempt  had  been  thus  foiled,  they  were 
by  no  means  discouraged.  At  dusk  on  the  following  evening, 
the  party  was  again  ready  to  set  out;  but  departure  was  delay 
ed  until  complete  darkness  should  conceal  their  movements. 

His  plan  was  to  pass  the  enemy's  pickets,  come  alongside  the 
Albemarle,  place  the  torpedo  and  explode  it;  then,  to  escape  in 
the  confusion  and  darkness.  Everything  was  most  carefully  ar 
ranged  to  secure  complete  silence,  as  the  slightest  sound  might 
betray  them.  The  usual  bell-signals  to  the  engineer  were  to  be 
replaced  by  pulls  at  a  line,  one  end  of  which  was  fastened 
around  his  leg,  while  the  othe"r  was  in  the  hand  of  Lieut.  Gush 
ing,  and  the  system  of  signals  by  this  rude  telegraph  was  care 
fully  arranged.  Another  line  would,  when  pulled,  detach  the 
torpedo  from  the  launch  ;  a  third  was  to  enable  him  to  explode 
it  at  the  proper  time.  The  engine,  of  course,  would  make  too 
much  noise  to  enable  them  to  pass  the  pickets  in  safety,  so  it 
was  arranged  that  they  should  row  until  speed  became  more 
necessary  than  silence  in  their  retreat. 

As  they  descended  into  the  little  vessel  the  rain  fell  in  torrents, 
while  the  wind  mournfully  spoke  its  prophecies  of  the  coming 
winter.  The  night  was  pitch  dark;  glimmering  faintly  through 
the  thick  blackness,  they  could  just  discern  the  lights  along  the 
shore  of  the  narrow  stream,  as,  with  muffled  oars,  they  rowed 
towards  Plymouth.  It  required  careful  steering  to  avoid  being 
seen  from  the  shore,  for  the  river  was  well-guarded  by  the  ene 
my;  but,  thanks  to  the  Egyptian  darkness  which  surrounded 
them,  they  eluded  the  observation  of  the  numerous  pickets 
stationed  on  both  sides  of  the  stream,  and  passed  safely  under 
the  very  walls  of  the  forts  that  frowned  above  its  current.  They 
passed  within  twenty  yards  of  a  Confederate  picket-launch,  but 
sa  completely  successful  were  their  precautions,  that  their  pres 
ence  was  not  suspected. 

They  had  hitherto  kept  near  that  bank  of  the  river  on  which 
the  to  wn  is  situated  ;  but  having  safely  passed  this  marine  picket- 
post,  they  changed  their  course  and  rowed  directly  across  the 
river.  They  were  now  directly  opposite  Plymouth.  Rowing 
still  farther  up  the  river,  they  recrossed  and  descended  the 
stream,  so  as  to  come  upon  the  ram  from  above  the  town.  As  they 


Destruction  of  the  Albemarle,  553 

swept  towards  it,  they  could  see  clearly  the  situation  of  the  ves 
sel  and  its  defenses.  The  rain  had  stopped  hy  this  time,  and  al 
though  the  sky  was  starless,  the  air  was  clearer;  so  that  any  ar 
tificial  light  was  more  distinctly  seen.  The  huge  camp-fire  that 
Mazed  on  the  shore  near  the  point  where  the  Albcmarle  lay, 
showed  that  it  was  moored  to  a  wharf,  and  surrounded  by  a  boom 
of  pine  logs,  about  twenty  feet  from  the  vessel.  The  light  of  the 
blaze  also  made  visible  the  presence  of  a  large  body  of  infantry, 
whose  fire  would  perhaps  be  upon  them. 

The  presence  of  the  boom,  although  not  entirely  unforeseen, 
yet  complicated  matters  considerably.  Such  a  structure  was  in 
tended  especially  to  thwart  such  enterprises  as  the  present,  by 
preventing  the  approach  of  a  torpedo  unnoticed.  In  modern 
naval  warfare  such  engines  of  destruction  are  often  sent  off  from 
a  considerable  distance,  and  exploded  by  means  of  a  wire  com 
municating  with  an  electric  batter}^;  so  that  a  defense  of  some 
kind,  usually  a  net-work  of  strong  wire,  is  necessary. 

They  were  close  upon  this  outer  defense  of  the  ram  when  they 
were  perceived  by  the  watch  on  board. 

"What  boat  is  that?"  came  the  challenge. 

"The  Albemarle's  boat,"  was  the  answer,  as  the  launch  struck 
full  against  the  logs,  crushing  them  at  least  ten  feet  in. 

But  the  action  was  hardly  suited  to  the  word,  and  in  an  in 
stant,  as  it  seemed  to  them,  there  poured  upon  them,  from  the 
infantry  on  shore,  a  shower  of  bullets.  Quick  and  sharp  were 
the  voices  of  the  Confederate  officers  on  board  the  Albemarle, 
as  the  orders  issued  from  their  lips.  Each  man  sprang  to  his 
post,  and  in  an  instant  the  ports  were  opened,  and  a  gun  train 
ed  upon  the  mysterious  assailant. 

Hastily  detaching  the  torpedo  from  the  launch,  Lieut.  Gushing 
directed  the  course  of  the  boom  so  that  in  a  moment's  time  it 
would  be  beneath  the  Confederate  vessel,  and  as  with  one  hand  he 
touched  off  the  howitzer,  with  the  other  he  pulled  the  line  which 
exploded  the  torpedo.  But  at  the  very  instant  that  this  was 
done,  a  musket-ball  from  the  shore  struck  his  right  arm,  and 
a  shell  from  the  doomed  ram  burst  above  the  heads  of  the  Fed 
erals  and  descended  among  them. 

No  words  can  do  justice  to  the  wild  confusion  of  the  scene; 
for  words  at  best  are  but  slow  and  poor  dcscribers  of  the  actual. 
That  which  takes  us  several  minutes  in  the  telling,  did  not  oc 
cupy  as  many  seconds.  The  report  of  the  howitzer  on  the  Fed- 


554 


Destruction  of  the  Albemarle. 


eral  launch,  the  rattle  of  the  musketry  on  shore,  the  boom  of 
the  Albemarle's  gun,  the  shrieking  of  the  shell,  the  hissing  of 
the  shot,  the  whistling  of  the  bullets,  the  explosion  of  the  tor 
pedo — all  these  sounds  came  with  such  terrible  rapidity  that 
there  was  no  succession  of  noises — it  was  one  loud,  discordant 
crash,  one  single  salute  to  the  terrible  god  of  war. 

As  the  glare  of  the  exploding  torpedo  lit  up  the  water  with  a 
ghastly  glow,  it  showed   the   Federal  launch   shattered  into  a 


Destruction  of  the  Albemarle. 

thousand  fragments  by  the  descent  of  the  shell.  The  force  of 
the  explosion  had  rent  asunder  the  pine  logs  composing  the 
boom,  and  the  handful  of  men  that  had  formed  the  crew  of  the 
launch  were  struggling  to  escape  from  more  than  one  danger. 
Threatened  with  death  by  the  musket-balls  from  the  shore,  they 
must  keep  afloat  in  the  icy  water;  weighed  down  by  their 
heavy  clothes,  and  with  every  limb  benumbed  by  cold,  they 
must  avoid  the  masses  of  logs  which,  detached  from  their  places 
in  the  circle  of  defense,  are  being  borne  onward  by  the  swift 
current,  and  whirled  around  in  the  troubled  waters  where  the 
launch  has  sunk. 

Throwing  off  their  coats  and  shoes  when  they  saw  that  each 
must  shift  for  himself,  Gushing  and  his  men  had  lear^d  into  the 


Destruction  of  the  Albemarle.  555 

water  just  as  the  shell  burst  above  their  heads.  They  had  some 
difficulty  in  escaping  from  the  whirlpool  made  by  the  sinking 
of  the  heavier  parts  of  the  launch,  but  struck  out  for  the  oppo 
site  shore.  Many  of  the  Confederates  were  busy  about  the  ram, 
assisting  their  comrades  in  saving  as  much  as  possible  of  her  ac 
coutrements.  But  there  were  others  not  so  employed,  and  these 
took  aim  at  the  Federals  in  the  water,  struggling  to  escape  so 
many  dangers. 

But  humanity  forbade  this,  and  the  fire  from  the  shore  soon 
ceased.  Boats  were  sent  out,  and  ten  of  the  Federals,  unable  to 
surmount  such  a  combination  of  difficulties,  surrendered  them 
selves.  Two  had  already  drowned  or  been  shot;  one  swam  the 
river,  and  after  lying  concealed  in  the  neighboring  marshes  for 
two  days,  without  food,  shelter,  or  any  means  of  drying  his 
dripping  clothes,  succeeded  in  reaching  a  place  of  safety.  It  re 
mains  for  us  to  detail  the  fate  of  the  commander. 

Leaping  from  the  launch  as  soon  as  he  had  performed  his  self- 
imposed  task,  he  struck  out  for  the  opposite  bank.  But  their 
course  was  plainly  seen  by  the  riflemen  on  shore,  and  tne  plash 
ing  of  bullets  in  the  water  around  him  warned  him  that  this  was 
an  impracticable  plan.  Turning  down  stream,  then,  he  made  the 
best  time  possible  under  the  circumstances ;  but  it  must  be  re 
membered  that  if  the  others  had  to  contend  with  numbness  of 
limbs  in  the  icy  stream,  with  the  weight  of  their  heavy  uniforms, 
dripping  with  water,  with  the  logs  and  fragments  of  the  wreck 
that  strewed  the  river  far  and  wide,  with  the  necessity  of  avoid 
ing  the  Confederate  bullets,  he  had  all  these  obstacles  to  over 
come  with  a  single  arm,  his  right  wrist  having  been  so  badly 
bounded  as  to  make  it  unfit  to  be  used. 

He  swam  down  stream  for  nearly  an  hour.  But  though  the 
will  be  strong,  nature  bends  it  to  her  necessities  as  she  snaps 
the  steel  rail  or  fells  the  oak.  In  spite  of  his  determination  to 
escape,  he  became  so  exhausted  that  he  could  no 'longer  keep 
afloat,  and  he  struck  out  for  the  shore.  So  entirely  had  be  been 
sustained  by  sheer  resolution  that  the  moment  that  his  feet 
touched  the  solid  ground  once  more,  and  he  no  longer  felt  that 
exertion  was  necessary  to  prevent  immediate  death,  he  fell 
senseless  to  the  earth.  Fortunately,  he  had  landed  where  some 
low  bushes  clothed  the  edges  of  the  stream,  and  his  prostrate, 
unconscious  form  was  thus  shielded  from  the  view  of  any  ene 
my  who  might  chance  to  pass. 


556  Destruction  of  the  Albemarle. 

How  long  he  lay  in  this  condition  he  never  knew  certainly, 
but  the  time  of  starting  and  that  employed  in  the  journey,  con 
sumed  by  the  startling  events  of  the  night,  and  that  which 
elapsed  before  dawn,  showed  that  he  must  have  been  insensible 
for  some  time.  Revived  at  last  by  the  cold  air  of  the  October 
night,  he  heard  the  sound  of  far-off  voices  as  he  hovered  just  on 
the  boundary  between  the  swoon  and  the  return  of  conscious 
ness  ;  gradually  they  drew  nearer  and  nearer  •  and  feeling  rather 
than  thinking  that  they  might  have  been  close  by  all  the  time, 
he  roused  himself  with  a  powerful  effort,  just  in  time  to  distin 
guish  the  words : 

"Who  planned  it?" 

"Lieut.  Gushing,  who  has  been  in  command  of  the  Monticello 
all  the  summer  and  fall." 

"And  did  he  accompany  them?" 

"O,  yes;  he  seems  to  have  planned  it  and  worked  it  out  him 
self.  His  men,  it  appears,  were  not  intrusted  with  anything  he 
could  do  himself.  They  had  one  gun  on  board,  and  he  touched 
that  off,  detached  the  torpedo  and  exploded  it.  So  they  say,  at 
least/' 

"Then  be  wasn't  captured?" 

"No,  he  was  one  of  the  four  that  were  killed.  His  men  say 
a  bullet  struck  him  just  before  the  shell  exploded,  and  he  must 
have  been  shot  again  or  else  that  first  wound  made  him  too  weak 
to  swim.  Anyhow,  he  was  killed." 

"Couldn't  he  have  escaped?" 

UO,  no;  in  five  minutes  the  river  was  covered  with  our  boats. 
It  was  utterly  impossible  for  any  one,  let  alone  a  wounded  man, 
to  escape." 

This  conversation  was  of  course  highly  gratifying  to  the  hear 
er  for  whose  ears  it  was  not  intended,  as  proving  to  him  that, 
unless  he  should  betray  himself,  there  was  no  pursuit  to  be  fear 
ed.  Sometimes,  it  is  a  fortunate  thing  for  a  man  if  he  can  make 
his  enemies  believe  him  dead.  Listening  a  little  longer,  for  he 
dared  not  move,  for  fear  of  attracting  their  attention,  he  found 
that  one  of  the  speakers  was  a  sentry,  while  the  other  two  were 
officers.  Waiting  until  the  latter  had  taken  their  departure,  he 
edged  himself  slowly  and  silently  towards  the  river  again.  But 
a  glance  revealed  that  it  would  be  dangerous  to  try  to  escape  by 
that  road,  as  every  one,  wakened  by  the  excitement  from  any 
temporary  carelessness,  was  now  on  the  alert. 


Destruction  of  the  Albemarle. 


557 


Ho  changed  his  course,  then,  though  not  his  mode  of  proceed 
ing.  It  was  dangerous  to  raise  himself,  however  slightly,  above 
the  surface  ;  and  the  only  way  he  had  of  getting  over  the  ground 
was  by  working  with  his  heels  upon  the  earth,  and  thus  dragging 
himself  along  on  his  back.  In  this  manner  he  had  approached 
the  river  from  the  bushes,  and  in  this  manner  he  retreated  from 
the  banks  of  the  stream  to  a  denser  thicket,  a  little  farther  from 
the  water's  edge. 

The  place  of  con 
cealment  was  not 
reached  a  moment  too 
soon,  for  it  was  near 
ly  dawn  when  he  se 
creted  himself  in  the 
bushes.  All  during 
the  long,  long  hours 
vf  the  day  he  lay 
there,  scarcely  daring 
to  breathe  deeply, 
lest  he  betray  his 
presence  to  some  one 
of  the  m a n y  w h o 
were  continually 
passing.  The  hope  of 
escape  was  food  and 
drink  and  warmth  to 
\iirn  as  he  waited  im 
patiently  for  the  ap-  A  Concealed  Listener. 
Broach  of  the  friendly  darkness.  At  last,  the  night  came,  and  ris 
ing  to  his  feet  he  gained  a  swamp  near  by  the  thicket. 

His  limbs  were  numbed  by  the  cold,  and  cramped  by  lying  so 
long  in  one  position  ;  his  wrist  was  exceedingly  painful,  for  the 
exposure  to  cold  and  the  lack  of  attention  had  caused  consider 
able  inflammation  •  but  exercise  soon  restored  the  circulation 
which  had  been  partially  stopped,  and  he  felt  that  pain  was 
nothing  to  imprisonment — that  it  were  better  to  sacrifice  his 
right  arm  than  his  liberty.  The  only  passable  ground  in  the 
swamp  was  an  old  road,  which,  to  judge  from  the  briars  that 
flung  their  thorny  arms  from  side  to  side,  had  not  been  used  for 
many  years ;  but  in  the  time  that  it  had  been  used,  some  one  had 
strewn  it  with  oyster-shells,  as  a  sort  of  rude  macadam.  This 


558  Destruction  of  the  Albemarle. 

paving  lacerated  his  shoeless  feet,  while  his  hands  were  torn  by 
the  briars  that  must  be  put  aside  before  he  could  pass. 

Many  times  he  was  obliged  to  rest  an  hour  or  so  before  he 
could  proceed;  and  would  sink  down,  exhausted,  upon  the  road, 
only  to  rise  with  renewed  energy  as  the  report  of  a  distant  gun 
warned  him  that  he  was  still  in  the  enemy's  country.  He  was 
in  a  pitiable  condition  when  he  emerged  from  the  swamp  on  the 
following  day;  hatless,  coatless,  shoeless,  with  feet  and  hands 
torn  and  bleeding,  suffering  intense  pain  from  his  wounded  arm, 
and  having  been  without  food  for  thirty-six  hours.  He  had 
hardly  gained  terra  firma  once  more  before  he  met  an  old  negro 
man. 

"  Good  morning,"  he  said,  in  as  cheerful  a  tone  as  he  could 
command. 

"Good  laws  a  massy,  sah,  who  is  you?"   asked  the  darkey 
starting  back  in  affright. 

"  I  am  a  Yankee  soldier,"  was  the  reply,  "  and  one  of  the  meo 
that  blew  up  the  Albemarle." 

"  O,  my  Lawd  !  Is  you  one  ob  de  men  what  got  killed  ?  Dey 
done  cotched  all  de  rest." 

"  They  thought  I  was  killed,  but  I  got  away.  Can  I  trust  you 
to  go  to  town  and  bring  me  back  the  news.  See,  I  will  pay  you 
well." 

"  You  kin  jest  trust  dis  nigger  to  fin'  out  eberyting  what's 
goin'  on,  sah.  What  is  it  you  pertikerlarly  wants  to  know?" 

"I  want  you  to  find  out  just  what  has  become  of  the  Albe 
marle" — 

"  Law  Massa,  she  done  blowed  up  clean,  I  heered." 

"Find  out  exactly  what  has  become  of  her;  what  the  soldiers 
are  doing,  and  whether  they  are  going  to  leave  the  town." 

"Is  datall?" 

"Yes,  that  will  be  enough,"  replied  the  soldier,  as  he  thought 
of  the  amount  and  importance  of  the  information  he  had  asked 
for. 

The  darkey  departed  on  his  errand,  jubilant  at  the  prospect  of 
earning  so  much  money  so  easily  ;  and  the  officer,  the  better  to 
provide  for  defense,  secreted  himself  in  the  branches  of  a  large 
tree  not  yet  divested  of  its  brown  foliage,  and  opened  his  pocket- 
knife,  the  nearest  approach  to  a  weapon  which  he  possessed. 
Here  he  waited  for  some  time,  peering  anxiously  through  the 
rustling  leaves  in  order  to  discern  the  approach  of  friend  or 


Destruction  of  the  Albemarle. 


559 


foe  as  soon  as  possible.  At  last  he  descried  his  sable  messenger 
shambling  along  the  road,  and  hastily  descended  from  his  perch. 

"  I  done  toF  you,  Massa,  de  Albemahl  clean  blowed  up.  Dah 
war  a  hole  in  her  side  big  enough  fo' a  hoss  to  walk  through, 
and  she  jest  settled  down  into  de  water  right  off.  Iseende  wha'f 
whar  she  used  to  be." 

"And the  soldiers?" 

"Didn't see  none,  sah  ;  dey  all  skedaddled,  I  reckon — ki,  hi — 


Meeting  the  Darkey. 

ebery  one  of  dem,  soon  as  dat  'ar  ole  rum  got  basted" 
"  Are  you  sure  there  were  no  soldiers  in  town  ?" 
"  Didn't  see  none,  sah  ;  and  de  Secesh  people  dey's  all  packin' 
up  fas'  's  dey  kin." 

This  was  all  the  information  that  he  could  get  out  of  the  dar 
key,  but  it  was  sufficient,  if  reliable.  The  Albemarle  had  sunk; 
the  object  of  the  expedition  had  been  accomplished;  the  town 
had  been  evacuated  by  the  Confederates,  when  they  no  longer 
had  the  ram  to  defend  them  on  the  river  side.  But  he  knew  that 
the  Southern  troops  were  still  stationed  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river ;  hence  his  movements  must  be  extremely  cautious. 

Going  further  down  the  stream  by  a  road  that  ran  parallel  to 
the  bank,  though  at  some  distance  from  it,  he  saw  on  the  oppos 
ite  side  a  picket  boat,  moored  to  a  stake.  This  was  indeed  a  prize. 


560  Destruction  of  the  Albemarle. 

Plunging  once  more  into  the  icy  stream,  he  swam  across,  and 
finding  no  sentinel  within  hearing,  cut,  with  his  pocket-knife, 
the  rope  which  tied  the  boat.  But  he  dared  not  get  into  the  lit 
tle  craft,  for  fear  of  attracting  attention  from  the  shore.  Towing 
it  well  into  the  current,  then,  he  simply  allowed  it  to  float  down 
the  stream,  while  he  swam  after  it.  At  last,  however,  he  thought 
he  was  fairly  beyond  the  Confederate  lines;  and  getting  into 
the  boat,  paddled  for  eight  hours. 

It  was  a  weary  journey  before  the  black  hulls  of  the  vessels 
composing  the  Federal  squadron  greeted  his  eyes,  and  his 
strength  was  nearly  exhausted.  Summoning  up  all  his  powers 
for  one  last  effort — a  tremendous  one  for  his  present  weakened 
condition — he  hailed  his  own  vessel.  The  officer  in  command 
was  somewhat  distrustful,  as  were  his  subordinates  ;  it  was  some 
daring  Eebel  trick,  they  could  not  tell  exactly  what;  but  before 
they  had  decided,  the  one  man  had  fallen  at  full  length  in  the 
bottom  of  his  boat.  Nothing  could  be  feared  from  a  faint 
ing  foe,  unless  this  should  be  a  part  of  the  ruse;  but  at  any 
rate,  a  boat  was  dispatched  to  bring  him  on  board  the  Monticel- 
lo.  What  was  the  surprise  of  the  sailors  who  manned  the  launch 
to  find  it  was  their  own  commander!  The  iron  will  which  had 
sustained  him  since  his  departure  failed  him,  when  no  longer 
necessary,  at  his  return ;  and  completely  worn  out  by  the  forty- 
eight  hours'  exposure  to  danger  and  to  cold,  by  the  suffering  en 
tailed  by  his  wound  and  by  the  privations  he  had  endured,  he 
had  fallen  fainting  at  the  very  haven  of  safety. 

His  exploit  opened  tho  Eoanoke  to  the  Federal  vessels,  and 
all  the  waters  of  North  Carolina  were  cleared  of  the  Confeder 
ates.  The  fleet  which  had  been  detailed  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
watching  the  Albemarle  was  now  free  for  other  duty,  to  which 
the  vessels  were  speedily  assigned.  The  whole  expedition  was 
planned  by  the  one  man,  who  took  so  large  a  share  in  carrying 
out  his  own  idea. 

NOTE.— From  a  recent  newspaper  we  clip  the  following, which 
goes  to  show  how  honors  may  be  claimed  by  others  when  they 
have  long  been  accredited  to  the  proper  wearers : 

"  WASHINGTON,  Mar.  23d,  1883. 

"Daniel  G.  George,  having  publicly  advertised  that  he  exploded  the  torpedo  which 
sank  the  Confederate  Ram  Albemarle,  the  Navy  Department,  at  the  request  of  Pay 
master  Francis  H.  Swan,  has  given  the  official  report  of  the  late  Uommander  Cush- 


Destruction  of  the  Albemarle.  561 

ing  of  the  destruction  of  the  Albemarle,  and  an  extract  from  his  sworn  testimony 
given  in  Washington  in  1873."  [The  preceding  account  is  made  up  of  the  official 
reports  and  some  Confederate  and  Northern  contemporaneous  accounts.]  "Pay 
master  Swan  indorses  the  above  documents  as  containing  a  correct  and  admirable 
account  of  the  destruction  of  the  Albemarle,  as  does  also  Charles  L.  Steever,  the 
surviving  engineer  of  the  picket  launch." 


J-JJ. 


CONFEDERATES  IN  SHERIDAN'S  CAMP. 

Necessity  for  Information  —  The  Party  —  "  One  of  Blazer's  Scouts"  —  A  Sleepy 
Picket — The  End  Accomplished — Another  Trip — Confederate  Votes  for  Lin 
coln —  Issuing  Orders  to  a  Federal  Officer — Blazer's  Scouts  in  Reality — A 
Hot  Pursuit  —  Taking  the  Fence  —  Back  to  His  Men  —  A  Desperate  Skir 
mish — After  Events. 

A  NOTED  Confederate  partisan  officer  was  Col.  Harry  Gil- 
mor,  a  Marylander ;  who,  enlisting  in  Ashby's  command 
in  September,  1861,  rose  from  the  ranks  until  he  obtained  the 
commission  which  gave  him  the  title  generally  attached  to  his 
name.  In  the  experiences  of  such  a  man,  there  must  be  many  a 
tale  of  stirring  adventure  such  as,  safe  by  the  fireside,  the  veter 
an  loves  to  recount.  Every  month  has  its  own  record,  and 
none  is  without  interest.  From  the  multitude  of  adventures  we 
select  the  one  which  appears  best  adapted  to  make  an  interest 
ing  chapter. 

About  the  middle  of  October,  1864,  there  was  much  uncertain 
ty  in  the  Confederate  councils  regarding  the  real  strength  of  the 
forces  under  Gen.  Sheridan;  as  it  was  confidently  believed  by 
many  that  that  general  had  sent  a  large  portion  of  his  troops  to 
the  assistance  of  Gen.  Grant.  But  this  report  would  no  sooner 
be  confirmed  by  one  of  the  most  reliable  scouts,  than  another, 
equally  trustworthy,  would  flatly  contradict  it.  At  the  earnest 
request  of  Gen.  Early,  then,  who  wished  to  have  positive  and 
(exact  information,  Major  Gilmor  (as  he  was  at  that  time)  under- 
took  to  penetrate  into  Sheridan's  camp,  and  bring  back  the  de 
sired  knowledge.  The  difficulty  of  the  undertaking  was  much 
enhanced  by  the  fact  that  he  had,  some  time  before,  received  a 
severe  wound,  from  which  he  had  not  yet  fully  recovered. 
562 


Confederates  in  Sheridan's  Camp.  563 

He  selected  only  one  of  his  men  to  accompany  him,  but  found 
five  or  six  more  at  his  first  stopping  place,  where  they  had  been 
stationed  to  annoy  the  enemy,  by  occasional  dashes  upon  mes 
sengers  and  guards.  These  begged  so  hard  to  be  allowed  to  ac 
company  their  leader,  that  he  finally  gave  them  the  desired  per 
mission,  and  the  seven  men  rode  onward.  Their  progress  was 
slow,  for  the  officer's  wound  was  troublesome;  and  it  was  not 
until  the  night  of  the  second  day  that  they  crossed  the  Potomac, 
and  took  to  the  Yalley  Pike. 

They  were  now  so  near  the  Federal  lines  that  the  whole 
country  was  filled  with  small  scouting  and  foraging  parties.  Al 
though  the  Confederates  had  come  merely  for  the  purpose  of  ob 
taining  information,  and  it  was  highly  essential  that  they  should 
"depart  in  peace,"  they  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  have  a 
little  "fun/7  when  such  scouting  parties  did  not  number  more 
than  fifteen  men.  Major  Gilmor  and  his  men  were  all  in  full 
gray  uniform,  but  as  the  weather  was  extremely  wet,  each  wore 
a  large  oil-cloth  poncho,  which  completely  hid  his  Confederate 
insignia  from  sight. 

As  it  chanced,  they  had  not  gone  very  far  before  they  came  in 
sight  of  a  squad  of  cavalry,  returning  from  a  scout.  Secure  in 
the  feeling  that  there  were  no  Rebels  near,  there  was  no  attempt 
made  to  protect  the  rear.  The  little  group  of  Confederates  saw 
this,  and  laid  their  plans  carefully.  In  pursuance  of  the  plot, 
they  rode  forward  rapidly,  yet  so  cautiously  that  they  were  not 
seen  by  the  Federals,  while  one  of  the  gray-coats,  R ,  push 
ed  on  until  he  was  alongside  the  officer.  Reeling  slightly  in  his 
saddle,  he  produced  his  canteen  and  offered  it  with  tipsy  grav- 
ity: 

"Have  a  drink,  sir?     First-class  (hie)  whisky." 

"Go  back  to  your  place  in  the  ranks  at  once,"  commanded  the 
officer,  sternly ;  somewhat  angered  by  the  impudence  of  the  man. 

"Beg  pardon,  sir,  but  (hie)  I  don't  belong  to  this  command. 
I'm  (hie)  one  of  Blazer's  scouts,  just  returning  from  some  (hie) 
first-rate  fun  with  the  Rebs.  Take  a  drink,  sir." 

Thus  assured  that  the  half  drunken  fellow  beside  him  was  not 
one  of  his  own  men,  the  officer  readily  took  a  drink  with  him. 
It  was  most  excellent  whisky. 

"Got  a  lot  of  it  just  back  (hie)  here,  sir;  just  drop  back  and 
take  all  you  like." 

The  temptation  was  too  strong.  The  officer  "dropped  back;" 
36 


564  Confederates  in  Sheridan's  Camp. 

but,  as  ho  again  elevated  the  proffered  canteen,  his  new  com 
panion  suddenly  became  sober,  and  the  muzzle  of  a  pistol  was 
pushed  in  his  face. 

"Your  life's  not  worth  a  red  cent  if  you  make  any  noise,"  was 
the  warning  given  him,  in  a  low,  determined  tone,  that  contrast 
ed  strangely  with  that  same  voice  as  he  had  heard  it  a  few  mo 
ments  ago.  Thus  admonished,  what  could  he  do  but  surrender? 
But  this  Federal  did  not  have  an  opportunity  to  get  lonesome; 


Beguiled  by   Whisky. 

for  before  many  hours  had  passed,  twelve  others  had  been  cap- 
tared  in  a  similar  manner.  The  prisoners  were  then  sent  off  to  a 
place  of  security,  in  charge  of  the  five  men  who  had  been  added 
to  the  force  after  starting;  while  Maj.  Gilmor  and  his  original 
companion,  S ,  concealed  themselves  in  a  thicket.  This  af 
forded  them  opportunity  for  sleeping,  each  for  a  time  while  the 
other  kept  guard  ;  here  they  could  discuss  the  contents  of  their 
haversacks  ;  and  from  this  point  they  could  command  a  fair  view 
of  the  enemy's  camp. 

But  this  was  too  far  off  for  them  to  see  as  distinctly  as  they 
wished  ;  it  was  a  case  in  which  distance  did  not  lend  enchantment 
to  the  view  ;  and  at  sunrise  the  next  morning,  they  put  on  the 
blue  overcoats  which  they  had  strapped  to  their  saddles,  and 


Confederates  in  Sheridan's  Camp.  565 

prepared  to  descend  from  the  eminence  crowned  by  the  thicket. 
They  had  not  gone  far  before  they  were  halted  by  a  picket  with 
the  usual  challenge. 

"Friends  without  the  countersign,"  was  the  reply  ;  "we  were 
captured  last  night,  with  some  others  ;  but  we  escaped  and  got 
hold  of  a  couple  of  horses." 

The  picket  was  very  sleepy;  besides,  they  had  on  blue  over 
coats;  they  were  undoubtedly  officers,  and  their  story  must  be 
true.  So,  smothering  a  yawn,  out  of  respect  for  the  presence 
of  his  superiors,  he  bade  them  pass  on  ;  and  then  roused  himself 
far  enough  to  look  around  him  for  signs  that  he  would  soon  be 
relieved  from  duty.  Meanwhile,  the  two  Confederates  were 
about  to  pass  on,  when  he  suddenly  bethought  himself  that  he 
was  passing  them  too  readily.  They  might  cause  him  to  be  rep 
rimanded  for  his  carelessness. 

*llold  on  there  a  minute — I  beg  pardon,  gentlemen,  but  what 
did  you  say  your  regiment  was  ?" 

"Twenty-first  New  York  Cavalry,"  answered  Major  Gilmor, 
readily. 

"All  right,  sir;  pass  on." 

They  passed  the  inside  picket  lines  by  the  same  story;  and 
were  then  tolerably  safe,  unless  recognized.  But  although  both, 
especially  the  officer,  were  widely  known  throughout  the  valley, 
they  were  fortunate  enough  to  escape  betrayal  by  even  a  chance 
recognition.  They  walked  leisurely  about  within  a  hundred  yards 
of  Gen.  Sheridan's  headquarters,  and  ascertained  that  not  a  man 
had  been  sent  to  Gen.  Grant.  Then,  having  accomplished  the 
end  for  which  they  were  sent,  they  were  ready  to  return  to 
the  Confederate  lines  ;  or  at  least  to  the  neutral  ground  of  the 
mountains,  where  their  five  comrades  were  awaiting  them,  hav 
ing  disposed  of  the  thirteen  prisoners. 

Here,  the  state  of  Major  Gilmor's  wound  necessitated  a  farther 
rest  of  a  day  or  two ;  and  when  that  had  been  done,  he  determined 
to  return  and  make  another  reconnoissance  of  the  camp.  For  dur. 
ing  the  time  that  he  had  been  engaged  in  this  expedition,  Gen. 
Early  had  fallen  back  so  that  it  would  be  difficult  !  o  reach  him  • 
while  Major  Gilmor's  knowledge  of  affairs  in  the  Confederate 
camp  was  such  that  he  felt  assured  that  this  movement  of  Early's 
was  only  the  prelude  to  an  advance  ;  when  recent  information  in 
regard  to  the  enemy's  camp  would  be  of  the  greatest  service.  He 
accordingly  determined  to  make  another  trip,  in  order '.  secure, 


566  Confederates  in  Sheridan's  Camp. 

not  only  later,  but  additional  information.  Having  rested  a  day 
or  two,  then,  they  again  pushed  on  into  the  very  heart  of  the 
enemy's  country. 

They  had  not  gone  far  before  they  overtook  four  men,  riding 
leisurely  along.  All  were  clad  in  blue  overcoats,  as  were  the 
men  of  Maj.  Gilmor's  command.  A  little  conversation  ensued,  in 
which  the  parties  mutually  introduced  themselves  as  some  of 
Blazer's  scouts  and  members  of  Torbert's  cavalry. 

"  Out  on  a  scout?"  asked  one  of  Gilmor's  men. 

"O,  no/'  replied  the  Blazer,  "  we're  just  going  to  vote;  going 
to  vote  for  the  next  president,  you  can  bet  your  bottom  dollar." 

"For  the  next  president  ?"  said  Maj.  Gilmor,  "I  suppose  you 
don't  want  any  change  ?" 

"The  man  that's  carried  the  country  through  so  far  is  good 
enough  to  finish  the  job,  sir." 

"I  suppose  he  will  be  elected  by  a  large  majority.  He  will 
have  the  votes  of  the  soldiers,  especially." 

"Yes,  he  will;  Little  Mac  used  to  be  mighty  popular  when  he 
first  took  command,  but  he  ain't  nowhere  now  ;  you  see,  people 
have  come  to  realize  that  a  Democrat  ain't  much  better  than  a 
d d  Rebel." 

The  unsuspicious  Lincolnites  suddenly  found  themselves  call 
ed  upon  to  surrender;  the  muzzle  of  a  revolver  in  each  one's 
face,  and  the  low,  stern  tones  of  "Torbert's  men"  in  each  one's 
ear.  The  four  prisoners  were  sent  to  the  rear  by  three  of  the 
men,  while  Major  Gilmor,  with  the  remaining  three,  took  pos 
session  of  their  papers  and  election  tickets,  and  rode  boldly  into 
Sheridan's  camp.  The  votes  of  four  sworn  soldiers  of  the  Con 
federacy  went  to  swell  Lincoln's  popular  majority  of  four  hun 
dred  thousand.  Of  course,  after  having  cast  their  votes  for  the 
Republican  candidate,  their  politics  were  not  questioned;  and 
they  went  where  they  would  in  the  camp,  obtaining  much  in 
valuable  information. 

But  they  were  not  only  to  vote  for  the  President  of  the  United 
States — Major  Gilmor  was  to  issue  orders,  as  a  superior,  to  an 
officer  in  the  United  States  Army.  It  happened  in  this  wise  : 
Riding  into  Shepherdstown,  to  investigate  the  rumors  regarding 
some  outrages  committed  by  the  "Jessie  scouts,"  and  to  avenge 
them  if  any  of  that  corps  could  be  found,  Major  Gilmor  found 
satisfactory  evidence  that  the  -depredations  had  really  been  com 
mitted,  but  could  not  find  any  trace  of  the  perpetrators.  Thus 


Confederates  in  Sheridan's  Camp.  567 

foiled  in  his  object,  he  went  to  call  on  some  lady  friends  living 
on  one  of  the  principal  streets;  for  the  Major's  gallantry  was  like 
a  good  rule,  it  worked  both  ways.  As  he  stood  at  the  gate, 
talking  to  them,  squads  of  Federal  soldiers  were  constantly  pass 
ing  and  repassing. 

"Major,  you'll  be  captured  again,  I'm  sure,"  exclaimed  one  of 
the  ladies,  when,  after  several  such  groups  had  passed,  she  could 
no  longer  conceal  her  anxiety. 

"O,  there's  not  the  slightest  danger,"  he  answered,  with  a 
laugh,  "If  there  was,  I  wouldn't  risk  it,  for  I  didn't  find  Fort 
McHenry  so  pleasant  a  place,  though  it  is  so  near  home." 

"The  idea  of  your  not  risking  danger!  After  what  we've 
heard  of  you,  that  sounds  too  ridiculous.  Why  do  you  carry 
your  arm  in  a  sling,  if  you  go  on  that  principle?" 

"O,  it's  a  plan  that  I've  only  recently  adopted,  you  see.  But 
just  let  me  show  you  how  groundless  your  fears  are." 

There  was  a  small  squad  of  Federals  a  few  feet  from  him  at 
the  moment  he  spoke ;  and  as  they  approached,  he  halted  them. 
The  officer,  completely  deceived  by  the  blue  overcoat  and  by  the 
authoritative  manner  of  the  wearer,  saluted  Major  Gilmor  as  a 
superior  officer. 

"Go  to  the  guard-house,"  directed  the  disguised  Confederate, 
"and  tell  the  officer  in  charge  there  to  send  a  squad  of  men  to 

's  drinking  saloon  on St.,  to  arrest  some  men  who 

are  creating  a  disturbance  there." 

The  Federal,  with  due  respect,  undertook  to  execute  the  or 
der.  He  delivered  the  message  to  the  officer  in  charge  at  the 
guard-house,  and  the  squad  was  sent  to  the  place  indicated;  but, 
strange  to  say,  the  men  to  be  arrested  were  not  there,  nor  had 
there  been  any  disturbance,  if  the  proprietor  and  his  employes 
might  be  believed.  Setting  down  the  disclaimers  of  these  as  the 
testimony  of  interested  parties,  but  unable  to  trace  the  matter 
farther,  the  soldiers  returned  to  the  guard-house  and  duly  re 
ported  the  result  of  their  errand.  Such  things  were  of  course 
of  almost  daily  occurrence,  and  no  one  thought  of  suspecting  the 
officer  who  had  sent  the  message. 

But  the  Confederates  could  not  always  remain  in  Shepherds- 
town,  and  be  entirely  secure.  Indeed,  Major  Gilmor's  call  on 
his  fair  friends  had  been  simply  for  the  purpose  of  taking  leave; 
and  had  the  Federals  sought  him  as  soon  as  it  was  discovered 
that  there  had  been  no  such  disturbance  in  the  saloon  mentioned, 


568  Confederates  in  Sheridan's  Camp. 

they  would  not  have  found  him  in  town.  Beating  a  retreat  to 
wards  the  Blue  Eidge  with  his  men,  they  were  riding  leisurely 
through  a  belt  of  woods,  early  on  the  morning  of  Nov.  llth, 
when  they  suddenly  came  upon  the  body  of  men  famous  as  "  Blaz 
er's  Scouts" — sixty  soldiers,  picked  from  many  different  regu 
ments,  and  mounted  on  the  fleetest  and  best  of  horses,  expressly 
to  waylay  small  bodies  of  Confederates.  Gilmor's  force  num 
bered  but  five,  so  that  it  was  useless  to  think  of  resistance; 
that  might  'iave  been  tried  with  any  other  men,  but  he  knew 
these  of  old,  and  dared  not  risk  it.  Well  it  was  that  he  so  de 
cided,  for  they  had  been  lying  in  ambush  for  some  of  Mosby's 
men,  whom  they  had  nearly  given  up,  and  were  just  spoiling  for 
a  fight. 

Setting  spurs  to  their  horses,  then,  as  soon  as  they  saw  what 
a  hornet's  nest  they  had  run  into,  the  Confederates  galloped 
away  as  fast  as  they  could  ;  knowing  that  if  the  speed  of  their 
horses  could  not  save  them,  nothing  else  could.  Fortunately, 
they  were  excellently  mounted.  They  had  fired  one  shot  each 
before  they  beat  such  a  rapid  retreat,  but  only  two  had  taken 
effect;  there  was  no  time,  now,  even  to  take  aim.  They  first 
dashed  into  a  dense  thicket,  hoping  that  they  might  be  able  to 
escape  in  that  way  ;  but  the  pursuers  were  after  them  so  closely 
thatthey  had  no  opportunity  of  doing  so.  Over  the  roughest  coun 
try  that  they  could  think  of  as  existing  in  the  neighborhood,  the 
Confederates  led  the  way,  hoping  to  wear  out  the  animals  on 
which  the  Federals  were  mounted.  This  plan  was  more  successful 
than  the  preceding  one,  for  one  by  one  the  scouts  fell  behind,  un 
til  there  were  but  five  in  close  pursuit. 

Knowing  of  a  private  ford  of  which  he  felt  certain  that  his 
pursuers  were  ignorant,  Major  Gilmor  led  the  way  toward  it. 
But  their  path  was  blocked  by  a  high  stake  fence.  If  they  could 
but  jump  it,  they  would  be  safe;  but  if  they  must  stop  to  take 
it  down,  the  whole  command  would  be  upon  them  before  they 
got  through.  A  good  horse  seems  almost  to  know,  by  the  touch 
of  his  rider's  hand,  what  is  passing  in  that  rider's  mind  ;  and  to 
this  instinct  was  now  added  that  emulation  which  possesses  an 
imals  as  it  does  men.  Major  Gilmor's  horse  was  as  anxious  to 
leap  that  fence  as  his  rider  was  to  have  him,  and  took  it  in  fine 
style.  Not  so  with  those  that  his  men  bestrode ;  they  obstinate 
ly  refused  to  attempt  it. 

"Well,  boys,  if  one  of  you  that  can  use  both  hands  better  than 


570 


Confederates  in  Sheridan's  Camp. 


Confederates  in  Sheridan's  Camp.  571 

I  can,  will  tear  down  the  fence,  I'll  come  back  and  help  fight  off 
those  Feds.  Come,  Bill,  try  it  again,  old  fellow." 

The  horse  obeyed  his  master's  words  and  hand,  and  made  a 
second  gallant  effort  to  leap  the  fence.  But  either  the  run  had 
not  been  long  enough,  or  the  long  race  had  exhausted  his 
strength ;  whichever  it  was,  he  failed  to  clear  it  as  at  first;  just 
touching  the  top  rail  with  his  knee,  he  fell  a  dead  weight  to  the 
earth,  crushing  his  rider  beneath  him.  The  sight  was  madden 
ing  to  the  Confederates.  The  young  officer,  whose  soldierly 
ability  had  raised  him  from  the  ranks,  was  all  but  idolized  by 
his  men;  and  believing  he  had  been  killed  in  the  effort  to  rejoin 
them,  when  he  might  have  escaped,  they  fought  with  terrible 
energy.  Fortunately  for  them,  the  main  body  of  Blazer's  men 
had  given  up  the  pursuit,  and  were  far  in  the  rear — too  far  to 
give  any  assistance  to  the  five  who  were  now  approaching  the 
resolute  Rebs. 

Though  the  Federals  were  men  selected,  for  their  courage  and 
dogged  determination  to  fight,  from  nearly  half  a  hundred  regi 
ments,  they  were  confronted  by  men  selected,  in  a  similar  man 
ner,  from  the  Confederate  Army ;  the  numbers  of  the  two  par 
ties  were  exactly  equal;  there  was  but  one  thing  to  turn  the 
fortunes  of  the  day — the  motive  for  fighting.  In  this,  indeed, 
the  Southerners  had  the  advantage,  and  after  a  short  fight,  the 
blue-coats,  seeing  that  nothing  was  to  be  gained,  sullenly  re 
treated  to  the  main  force.  Thus  left  masters  of  the  field,  the 
Confederates  got  the  seemingly  lifeless  body  of  their  leader 
across  his  horse,  which  had  not  been  injured  by  the  fall;  and 
thus  conveyed  him  to  a  house  near  by,  where  they  knew  they 
could  find  the  necessary  assistance.  There  he  became  conscious 
again,  and  though  unfit  for  service  for  sometime  after,  he  was 
able  to  mount  and  ride  towards  Newtown  when,  the  next  day, 
it  became  certain  that  Early  was  advancing  in  that  direction. 
Some  difficulty  was  experienced  in  getting  through  the  enemy's 
lines,  but  the  task  was  at  last  successfully  accomplished  ;  and  the 
Confederate  general  was  put  in  possession  of  certain  and  trust 
worthy  information  regarding  the  Federal  general's  strength 
and  intentions. 

Major  Gilmor  was,  shortly  after  this,  given  the  command  of 
Woodson's  and  McNeill's  Rangers,  in  addition  to  his  own  battal 
ion  ;  and  a  commission  as  colonel.  But  he  never  went  into  ac 
tive  service  with  his  new  rank,  as  the  weather  was,  for  the  great- 


572  Confederates  in  Sheridan's  Camp. 

er  part  of  the  winter,  too  cold  for  the  raids  and  scouting  expe 
ditions  in  which  he  delighted;  and  he  was  captured  early  in  the 
succeeding  February.  It  was  while  he  was  a  prisoner  of  war 
that  a  portion  of  his  command,  under  Lieut.  McNeill,  performed 
the  daring  exploit  elsewhere  narrated.  The  fall  from  his  horse, 
in  this  adventure,  may  perhaps  be  called  the  cause  of  his  death  j 
for  it  re-opened  the  wound,  a  second  re-opening  of  which  result 
ed  fatally  as  late  as  February,  1883. 


ESCAPE  FROM  A  TRAIN. 

The  Eoad  — Removal  of  Prisoners  —  Carelessness  of  Guards  —  Heavy  Rain  —  Es 
cape  —  Escape  Discovered  —  Pursued  —  Baffling  the  Bloodhounds  —  The 
Swamp — A  Great  Loss — Helped  by  the  Negroes — A  Scare — An  Unexpected 
Friend — Reinforcements — Hope  Deferred — A  Surprise  —  A  Battle — Flight — 
Alone  and  Hopeless — Friends — Counting  the  Loss— Safe. 

IT  was  an  October  night  in  the  year  1864 ;  the  great  clouds  had 
gathered  over  the  sky,  completely  hiding  the  feeble  rays  of 
the  new  moon;  dark  and  vast  stretched  away  the  woods  on  eith 
er  side  of  the  railway  track ;  who  could  tell  what  was  hidden  in 
those  recesses  shaded  from  even  noonday  light  by  the  thick, 
glossy  leaves  that  never  fell,  even  in  the  winter-time  ?  Yet  even 
in  the  very  midst  of  this  Southern  forest  the  story  of  progress 
had  been  written  in  lines  of  iron  ;  and  along  those  lines  and  above 
them,  there  now  advanced  a  monster  with  a  flaming  eye  and  a 
thundering  tread.  Onward  it  came  through  the  darkness,  rolling 
nearer  and  nearer  every  moment  to  the  great  tank  by  the  road 
side.  As  it  approached,  it  slackened  speed,  for  the  mighty  crea 
ture  was  thirsty.  In  plain  English,  there  was  a  train  coming, 
and  this  was  a  wood  and  water  station. 

It  was  the  road  between  Columbia  and  Charleston,  S.  C.,  of 
which  we  write;  and  the  time  was  a  night  about  the  middle  of 
October,  1864.  The  train  was  almost  filled  with  prisoners  of 
war  and  the  necessary  guards;  for  the  advance  of  the  Federal 
forces  had  obliged  the  Confederate  Government  to  remove  these 
prisoners  to  a  more  secure  place  of  confinement.  Traveling 
through  the  very  heart  of  the  Confederacy,  it  was  not  thought 
necessary  to  provide  a  very  strong  guard;  indeed,  not  many 
men  could  be  spared  for  the  purpose,  for  the  strength  of  the 

573 


574  An  Escape  from  a  Train. 

South  was  failing  fast.     As  it  turned  out,  the  guard  was  really 
too  small  for  the  purpose. 

The  train  stopped  at  the  water  station,  and  the  sleepy  guards 
had  wakened  up  and  looked  sharply  about  them.  There  were  so 
few  of  them  that  all  their  vigilance  was  needed  for  the  inside  of 
the  cars,  and  they  had  not  seen,  some  time  before  this,  that  four 
of  their  prisoners  had  slipped  out.  Doing  this  at  any  time  when 
the  train  was  dashing  along  at  full  speed,  would  have  been  sim 
ply  suicide.  As  the  train  slackened  speed,  however,  these  four 
men  sprang  from  the  platform  to  the  ground;  sinking  almost 
knee-deep  into  the  soft,  damp  earth,  that  deadened  the  sound 
which  might  otherwise  have  betrayed  them.  The  rain  fell  in 
torrents;  it  was  a  night  on  which  no  man  w.ould  willingly  be 
abroad,  save  those  in  whom  a  desire  for  liberty  was  stronger 
than  the  love  of  comfort. 

Not  a  word  dared  they  utter,  as  they  plunged  into  the  heavy 
woods  that  skirted  the  road  ;  although  the  darkness  was  so  thick 
that  each  could  hardly  discern  the  forms  of  the  others.  At  last, 
however,  they  got  to  cover,  and  having  heard  no  signs  of  pursuit, 
they  spoke  in  whispers  to  each  other.  As  may  be  supposed, 
they  were  Federal  soldiers,  and  had  been  in  prison,  members  of 
one  mess.  Gen.  J.  Madison  Drake  was  the  officer  of  highest  rank, 
the  others  being  Major  Davis  and  Captains  Todd  and  Grant. 
Day  after  day  they  had  studied  over  some  plan  for  escape, 
and  when  they  found  that  they  were  to  be  removed  by  rail 
to  another  prison,  had  determined  to  make  this  trial.  Their 
plan  had  been  favored  by  the  weather,  for  on  a  clearer  night 
they  might  have  been  seen  by  some  one  from  the  train. 

But  even  as  they  were  just  whispering  their  congratulations 
and  joy  at  success  to  one  another,  crouched  on  the  soft  oozy 
ground  in  the  midst  of  a  laurel  thicket,  a  dreadful  sound  broke 
the  silence  of  the  night.  As  they  listened,  came  that  which 
they  so  much  feared  to  hear — the  voices  of  men,  and  worse  still, 
the  deep-mouthed  bay  of  a  bloodhound.  It  was  evident  that 
their  escape  had  already  been  discovered,  and  that  the  baffled 
guards  were  on  their  track.  But  to  move  could  do  no  good,  for 
they  might  run  into  the  very  arms  of  their  pursuers.  They  lay 
still  in  the  laurels,  then,  trusting  that  the  hounds  would  be  puz 
zled  by  an  artifice  to  which  they  had  had  recourse. 

As  we  have  intimated,  the  plan  of  escape  had  been  settled  as 
soon  as  they  knew  that  they  were,  to  be  removed ;  and  every 


An  Escape  from  a  Train.  575 

preparation  had  been  made  which  the  rules  of  the  prison  and 
the  vigilance  of  their  keepers  would  allow.  Among  other  pre° 
cautions,  they  had  rubbed  the  soles  of  their  shoes  with  onions, 
and  laid  slices  of  the  odorous  vegetable  inside.  The  heat  of 
the  foot  of  course  brought  out  the  perfume  in  full  force,  and  this 
was  the  scent  that  lay  along  the  path  over  which  they  had  fled. 
As  they  had  hoped,  the  hounds  were  at  fault,  baffled  by  this  pe 
culiar  scent,  which  their  instinct  did  not  prompt  them  to  follow. 
The  sound  heard  in  the  bushes  was  no  longer  the  full  yelp  that 
shows  they  are  in  pursuit  of  an  easily  traced  prey ;  it  became, 
by  degrees,  the  short  snarl  by  which  they  indicate  their  disap 
pointment  and  failure.  Gradually  the  pursuers  gave  up  the 
chase,  and  the  pursued  were  left  to  the  silence  of  the  forest  and 
the  night. 

When  the  sounds  died  away,  and  the  stillness  brought  them  a 
sense  of  security,  they  moved  onward  through  the  swampy 
woods.  They  sank  knee  deep,  at  every  step,  in  water  or  slimy 
black  mud,  and  walking  was,  of  course,  exceedingly  tiresome. 
But  they  had  not  thought  to  escape  without  undergoing  many 
hardships,  and  they  pressed  resolutely  on.  Halting  at  morning 
to  rest  during  the  day  (for  they  thought  it  would  be  unsafe  to 
move  on  ward  except  under  cover  of  darkness),  they  could  actual 
ly  find  no  place  on  which  they  could  rest  their  wearied  limbs.  To 
sleep  on  the  frozen  ground,  with  a  blanket  for  bed  and  cover 
ing,  a  knapsack  for  a  pillow — that  would  have  been  solid  comfort 
to  the  worn-out  men  who  stood  in  the  swamp,  leaning  against 
the  bushes,  and  slept  through  the  rainy  hours  of  that  October 
day. 

One  must  of  course  stand  guard  while  the  others  slept,  lest  the 
enemy  come  upon  them  unawares.  But  even  when  this  was 
taken  into  account,  they  slept  but  a  few  hours.  Their  blood  was 
so  fevered  with  the  desire  of  liberty  that  they  could  not  rest  un 
til  that  end  was  attained.  The  latter  part  of  the  afternoon  was 
occupied  in  fashioning  rude  clubs  from  the  cypress  of  the 
swamp;  for  arms,  of  course,  had  been  unobtainable;  yet  they 
must  have  weapons  of  some  kind.  Armed  in  this  primitive  fash 
ion,  then,  they  set  out  on  their,  second  night's  journey ;  their 
way  lighted,  for  several  hours,  by  the  faint  and  watery  beams 
of  the  new  moon. 

Whether  the  Confederates  suspected  their  purpose  to  lie  by 
during  the  day  and  travel  only  by  night,  or  had  kept  up  the 


576  An  Escape  from  a  Train. 

hunt  all  day,  they  of  course,  had  no  means  of  knowing.  But 
though  the  noises  indicating  pursuit  had  not  been  heard  since 
they  died  away  on  the  first  night,  they  were  now  perceived 
again.  It  is  well  known  that  water  hides  the  trail;  and  our  fu- 


Homeward  Bound. 

gitives  sought  out  small  streams,  that,  by  wading,  they  might 
cause  the  hounds  to  lose  the  scent.  This  practice  was  success 
ful;  and  when,  at  daylight,  they  halted  for  food  and  rest,  the 
hounds  had  not  been  heard  for  hours.  A  march  of  twenty  miles 
was  accomplished  that  night. 

Their  haste  was  too  great  to  allow  of  long  halts,  and  being 


An  Escape  from  a  Train.  577 

now  some  distance  from  the  point  of  escape,  they  judged  that 
some  part  of  the  day  might  be  used  for  their  journey.  Accord 
ingly,  they  traveled  through  the  thick  cypress  swamps  during 
the  day,  and  under  cover  of  darkness  crossed  whatever  open 
fields  might  lie  in  their  way.  The  scanty  supply  of  rations 
which  they  had  been  able  to  obtain  and  carry  off  unsuspected 
was  carefully  hoarded,  for  they  did  not  know  when  or  where 
they  could  get  more.  They  dared  not  go  near  a  house  or  a  town, 
for  fear  of  being  recaptured. 

But  like  all  stores  that  are  not  magic,  this  at  last  gave  out.  It 
was  just  one  week  after  their  escape  that  they  halted,  early  in 
the  morning,  to  boil  the  last  rations  of  parched  rye  which  was 
the  usual  substitute  in  the  South,  during  the  war,  for  coffee.  The 
scanty  breakfast  was  quickly  prepared,  and  consumed  with  equal 
rapidity ;  for  their  appetites  were  keen,  and  there  was  but  little 
food  to  satisfy  them.  The  last  morsel  had  disappeared,  and  each 
man  was  anxiously  wondering  when,  where  and  how  they  could 
get  any  more,  when  a  party  of  armed  men  were  seen  running  to 
wards  them.  Thus  menaced,  they  forgot  their  unsatisfied  hun 
ger  and  their  anxiety  about  food  for  the  future;  and  beat  a  re 
treat  that  was  more  remarkable  for  speed  than  for  good  order. 
They  distanced  their  pursuers,  but  in  their  haste  they  had  left 
behind  them  all  their  few  cooking  utensils,  the  tin  cups  from 
which  they  drank,  the  knives  and  forks  which  they  had  man 
aged  to  procure,  a  towel  (their  only  one)  and  a  box  of  matches. 
When  we  consider  that  they  had  nothing  more  to  cook,  the  loss 
of  their  utensils  and  drinking  cups  does  not  seem  such  a  hard 
ship;  but  they  seem  to  have  felt  it  keenly;  perhaps  because 
they  hoped  to  find  something.  By  this  loss,  and  the  giving  out 
of  their  rations,  they  were  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  wander 
ing  about  the  woods  and  fields,  looking  for  edible  roots,  corn 
and  berries. 

But  though  reduced  to  such  straits,  they  still  pressed  resolute 
ly  onward;  until  at  last,  about  the  first  of  November,  they  were 
two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  coast.  Hunger  makes  the 
wild  animals  bold,  and  it  was  notwithout  its  effect  on  these  poor 
fugitives,  flying  from  the  horrors  of  a  military  prison.  Stealth 
ily,  by  night,  they  approached  a  group  of  humble  cabins  which, 
standing  within  a  stone's  throw  of  a  comfortable  mansion  house, 
indicated  clearly  the  race  by  which  they  were  occupied.  The 
negroes  in  them  were  still  held  to  servitude,  though  many,  hear- 


578  An  Escape  from  a  Train. 

ing  vague  echoes  of  the  "Battle-cry  of  Freedom/'  had  es 
caped  from  the  house  of  bondage.  But  all  were  ready  and  will 
ing  to  aid  those  who  were  fighting  for  them;  and  though  the 
Federal  army  had  not  yet  penetrated  to  this  point,  they  could 
show  their  good-will  by  ministering  to  these  four  soldiers.  Corn- 
bread,  salt,  meal,  a  little  bacon,  and  such  other  coarse  food  as 
was  provided  for  them,  were  drawn  freely  from  their  scanty 
store  and  bestowed  upon  the  escaped  prisoners.  They  went  on 
before  daybreak,  for  to  have  remained  would  not  only  have  im 
periled  their  own  safety,  but  would  have  exposed  their  kind  en 
tertainers  to  severe  punishment. 

They  were  near  Dallas,  North  Carolina,  when,  on  emerging 
from  a  sheltered  path,  they  came  full  upon  a  white  man.  So 
suddenly  did  the  meeting  occur,  that  they  absolutely  had  no 
means  of  avoiding  it;  and  they  wisely  concluded  to  make  the 
best  of  an  unfortunate  circumstance.  A  guarded  conversation 
began,  in  which  each  endeavored  to  find  out  about  the  other  be 
fore  revealing  himself.  After  much  beating  about  the  bush,  they 
were  driven  by  desperation  to  tell  who  they  were,  and  to  throw 
themselves  upon  the  mercy  of  the  stranger. 

"Well,  I  kind  of  thought  you  were  Union  soldiers,  but  I  didn't 
like  to  ask  you  outright.  Fm  a  Union  man  myself,  and  have  to 
be  mighty  careful  what  I  do  and  say,  for  my  neighbors  are  all 
red  hot  Rebels,  and  won't  stand  any  nonsense." 

"A  Union  man  !"  they  exclaimed,  in  joyful  surprise.  It  was 
more  than  they  had  hoped  for.  The  utmost  that  they  had  ex 
pected  was  that  he  would  be  moved  to  pity  by  their  defenseless 
condition,  and  would  not  inform  the  Confederate  authorities  in 
Dallas  of  their  whereabouts.  As  it  was,  he  insisted  that  they 
should  permit  him  to  entertain  them,  and  conducted  them,  by  a 
circuitous  route  that  skirted  the  town,  to  his  residence,  two  miles 
away.  He  could  not  keep  them  long,  for  his  loyalty  to  the 
United  States  was  suspected  by  his  Secessionist  neighbors;  nor 
could  he  fit  them  out  as  completely  as  he  wished,  for  supplies 
of  all  kinds  were  hard  to  obtain ;  but  he  gave  them  what  he  had, 
and  directed  them  to  the  houses  of  others  whom  he  knew  to  be 
Union  men,  so  that  they  no  longer  felt  that  they  were  as  friend 
less  as  the  Ishmaelites. 

They  crossed  the  Catawba  near  Lovelady  Ford,  being  set  over 
the  river  by  one  of  the  men  to  whom  their  Dallas  friend  had 
recommended  them;  and  once  across  this  stream,  their  party 


An  Escape  from  a  Train.  579 

began  to  increase.  There  were,  in  this  section  of  the  country, 
many  men  who,  having  been  drafted  into  the  Confederate  army, 
and  having  become  disgusted  very  soon  with  the  scant  rations 
and  plentiful  work,  had  deserted  on  the  first  occasion  that  offer 
ed.  There  were  others  who  had  never  made  any  secret  of  their 
anti-secession  opinions,  and  who  had,  by  reason  of  their  Union 
ism,  been  forced  to  leave  home,  in  order  to  escape  the  persecu 
tion  of  their  Secessionist  neighbors.  Others  still  had  a  natural 
leaning  towards  an  adventurous  and  lawless  life.  Men  of  these 
three  classes  made  up  an  extensive  body,  not  only  in  that  sec 
tion,  but  in  all  parts  of  the  border  between  the  North  and  the 
South,  generally  known  as  the  "lyers  out."  As  the  presence  of 
four  Union  soldiers,  escaped  from  a  Southern  prison,  became 
known,  these  men  flocked  from  all  directions  to  see  and  talk 
with  the  fugitives.  Outlawed  in  their  own  section  by  popular 
opinion,  these  men  had  nothing  but  disgrace  and  perhaps  death 
to  expect  from  the  Confederate  Government;  they  dared  not 
visit  their  homes;  what  property  they  had  had  was  wasted  by 
the  Southern  army,  as  that  of  an  enemy;  and  they  were  easily 
induced  to  accompany  the  escaped  prisoners  to  the  Federal  lines, 
there  to  enlist  in  the  United  States  Army. 

The  party  of  four  was'by  this  means  increased  to  nearly  a  hun 
dred;  and  although  the  danger  of  recapture  was  materially  les 
sened,  the  new  recruits  were  so  poorly  provided,  not  only  with 
military  supplies,  but  even  with  the  necessities  of  life,  that  the 
hardships  that  they  must  endure  were  much  increased.  They 
were  far  from  having  a  sufficiency  of  food,  and  at  times  were 
nearly  perishing  for  the  lack  of  it.  Occasionally,  Major  Davis, 
who  was  an  experienced  hunter,  would  shoot  a  bear  or  a  wild 
hog;  but  game  was  scarce,  and  the  carcass  of  one  animal  was 
consumed  long  before  another  could  be  killed. 

Hope  sustained  them,  however,  through  many  hardships;  but 
it  was  a  hope  not  destined  to  be  realized  at  any  early  day.  Like 
the  will-o'-the-wisp  that  lures  the  traveler  onward  step  by  step, 
so  the  expectation  of  reaching  the  Federal  lines  at  no  distant 
period  encouraged  them  in  their  long  and  painful  march  over 
the  Blue  Ridge;  until  it  seemed  that,  like  the  will-o'-the-wisp, 
the  hope  was  to  fail  them  at  last.  As  they  advanced,  they  learn 
ed  that  the  Federal  forces  were  at  Bull  Gap;  and  they  pushed 
rapidly  forward  from  Crab  Orchard,  East  Tennessee,  toward 
that  point.  But  as  they  were  descending  Big  Butt  Mountain, 
37 


580  An  Escape  from  a  Train. 

they  heard,  in  the  valley  of  the  Cumberland,  the  thunder  of  dis 
tant  cannon.  Far  off,  almost  on  the  horizon,  they  could  see  the 
smoke  of  battle.  Anxiously,  from  their  perch  on  the  mountain 
side,  did  they  watch  the  progress  of  the  conflict.  The  dim  cloud 
that  meant  so  much  moved  away,  and  they  knew  that  Gillem 
had  been  defeated  by  Breckinridge,  and  was  retreating  to  Knox- 
ville. 

It  was  the  last  straw,  and  it  broke  the  camel's  back.  As  that 
dim  cloud  of  battle-smoke  faded  away,  their  hopes  faded  with  it. 
With  a  sullen  patience  that  was  born  of  despair,  they  made  the 
usual  preparations  for  encamping  for  the  night.  They  gathered 
around  the  camp-fire,  closely,  for  the  night  was  cold,  and  their 
clothes  were  worn  and  thin,  many  of  them  ragged  and  tattered. 
As  a  matter  of  habit,  they  wrapped  themselves  in  whatever  ap 
proach  to  a  blanket  each  might  possess,  and  lay  down.  Happi 
ly  for  them,  as  one  man  thought,  all  but  himself  could,  in  sleep, 
forget  the  "cares  which  infest  the  day."  That  one  man  was  Gen. 
Drake,  whose  anxiety  was  such  that  he  could  not  sleep.  All 
through  the  long  night  he  sat  beside  the  fire  on  a  log,  turning 
over  in  his  mind  the  situation  in  which  they  were  placed,  and 
the  probabilities  of  getting  out  of  it. 

The  hours  passed  slowly  on,  and  towards  morning,  worn  out 
by  the  fatigues  through  which  he  had  passed,  the  officer  fell  into 
a  light  doze.  Everything  was  quiet  in  that  camp  on  the  side  of 
the  mountain;  not  even  the  sentinel's  tread  to  and  fro  disturb 
ed  the  silence  ;  for  the  men  had  all  been  worn  out  by  the  day's 
journey,  and  no  part  of  the  Confederate  army  was  in  the  neigh 
borhood.  Only  the  gleam  of  the  fire-light,  as  the  blaze  rose  and 
fell,  indicated  that  was  a  living  picture. 

Suddenly  the  silence  was  broken  by  a  wild,  irregular  yell, 
from  more  than  a  hundred  rough  and  hairy  throats,  and  the 
crack  of  as  many  carbines  ;  while  the  hoofs  of  horses  clattered 
over  the  frozen  ground  into  the  very  midst  of  the  sleeping  men. 
It  was  an  element  on  which  they  had  not  reckoned  this  night, 
though  often  before  evading  this  very  force  of  guerillas.  As  it 
was,  the  surprise  was  complete.  No  resistance  could  be  offered, 
and  fortunate  indeed  were  they  who  could  escape  from  the  glare 
of  the  camp  fire  to  the  intense  darkness  which  was  everywhere 
outside  that  circle  of  light. 

Among  those  who  escaped  thus  from  the  guerillas  was  Gen. 
Drake  himself.  Awakened  by  the  first  sound,  the  assailants  were 


An  Escape  from  a  Train. 


581 


already  in  the  midst  of  the  camp,  so  sudden  was  the  attack. 
Barefooted  and  bareheaded,  he  sprang  away,  and  managed  to  es 
cape  to  the  outer  darkness.  The  ground  was  white  with  frost, 
and  the  air  as  cold  as  mountain  air  in  November  can  be.  His  feet 
were  soon  torn  by  the  hard,  frozen  ground,  and  while  thus  soft- 
tened,  a  large  splinter  of  wood  entered  his  heel.  He  sat  down, 
in  order  to  remove  this ;  and  once  having  given  up  flight,  felt 
hopeless.  He  was  but  half-clad  in  bitterly  cold  weather;  he  was 
utterly  alone  in  a  hostile  country;  unarmed  amid  a  host  of  foes; 


The  Surprise. 

the  darkness  that  surrounded  him  seemed  to  envelop,  not  only 
his  whole  future,  but  the  late  of  the  friends  who  had  been  his 
companions  during  the  perilous  journey. 

As  he  sat  thus,  in  the  silence,  while  the  dim  gray  daylight  was 
growing  brighter  and  brighter  around  him,  and  he  still  mused 
despondently,  voices  were  heard  afar  off,  gradually  coming  near 
er  and  nearer.  He  sat  still,  caring  little  if  they  were  foes  ;  for 
after  the  hard  struggle  to  reach  the  Federal  lines,  he  had  at  last 
despaired.  The  voices  became  more  distinct,  and  atlast  the  sound 
of  their  footsteps  on  the  frozen  ground  became  audible.  In  an 
other  moment  the  party  came  in  sight  of  the  lonely,  despairing 
man,  and  rushed  forward  to  greet  him.  It  was  a  number  of  the 


582  An  Escape  from  a  Train* 

men  who  had  followed  him  to  enlist  in  the  United  States  Army. 
Maj.  Davis  was  at  the  head  of  this  party,  but  the  others  who  had 
escaped  from  the  train,  Captains  Todd  and  Grant,  were  enrolled 
among  the  "missing/' 

The  fact  that  they  had  passed  through  the  morning's  attack  in 
safety  seemed  to  inspire  the  survivors  with  new  hope ;  or  per 
haps  with  a  new  dread  of  meeting  the  fate  of  their  late  comrades. 
At  any  rate,  the  sullen  despair  of  the  night  before  had  vanished  ; 
and  although  they  dropped  a  soldier's  tear  for  those  who  had 
fallen  before  they  could  strike  a  blow  for  the  Union,  they  de 
termined  to  enter  the  ranks  of  the  Federal  Army  or  fall  as  these 
had  done. 

It  was  a  long  and  tedious  journey,  lasting  a  full  week,  but  at 
last  the  sadly  diminished  party  arrived  at  Knoxville,  and  ac 
complished  the  object  of  its  desires.  The  last  Thursday  in  that 
month  of  November,  1864,  was  indeed  a  Thanksgiving  Day  to 
them,  if  to  no  one  else,  for  on  that  day  they  enjoyed  rest  and 
freedom  from  want  and  suffering  inexpressible. 


A  RAID  FOR  HORSES. 

V  Mount  Wanted— A  Chance  to  Get  One  — Bad  Weather—  «  A  Thrifle  Near 
er" — A  Little  too  Near — Success — A  Brick — A  Charge  and  a  Chase — A  Fall 
on  the  Ice — Another  Prisoner — Riding  Douhle — An  Affecting  (?)  Farewell — 
Bad  Luck — A  Call  on  the  Ladies — War  Toilets — The  Dinner  They  Miss 
ed — The  Dinner  They  Didn't  Miss — A  Good  Time — A  Rude  Awakening — 
Captured  —  Well  Guarded  —  "  Good  Night"  —  A  Prearranged  Signal—"  He 
Hasn't  Escaped,  but  He's  Going  to"  —  And  He  Does  —  Chasing  a  Riderless 
Horse  —  The  Rider  Escapes  on  Foot  • —  Gen.  Sherman's  Opinion  on  Horses 
and  a  Soldier's  Mode  of  Procuring  Them. 

66r~FVELL  you  what,  I'd  like  to  have  another  horse." 

I        "  Why,  what's  the  matter  with  the  one  you  have  ?     You 
used  to  brag  a  heap  on  him." 

"  So  I  do  still,  only  it  isn't  brag — not  by  a  long  shot.  But  I'm 
afraid  he'll  get  killed,  and  then  where'll  I  be?" 

"Ye  might  be  on  yerfate  and  then  agin  ye  moughtn't." 

"  Why,  where  else  should  I  be,  O'Brien,  if  my  horse  was  kill 
ed  ?" 

"You  might  be  killed,  too,  and  it's  meself  wouldn't  loike  to  be 
sayin'  where  ye  would  be  thin.  That's  a  matter  for  you  to  set 
tle  with  yer  own  sowl." 

"  Well,  Lewis,"  interposed  the  second  speaker,  "I  don't  know 
but  I'd  like  to  have  a  remount  myself.  Let's  get  one  ;  what  do 
you  say?" 

"But where?  That's  what  is  bothering  me,"  answered  Lew 
is. 

"There  was  a  Federal  raid  towards  G-ordonsville — didn't  you 
hear  of  it?"  pursued  the  second,  who  may  as  well  be  here  intro 
duced  as  Private  Channing  Smith,  of  Col.  Mosby's  command. 

"  Yes — they  started  back  to-day.     But  that  was  a  big  force." 


584  A  Eai(ju  jor  Horses. 

"Yes,  too  big  for  us  to  attack;  but  we  might  pick  up  some 
stragglers.  When  they've  been  on  a  raid  they  don't  always  keep 
strict  line,  you  know.  Discipline  is  apt  to  be  lax." 

"  Think  the  colonel  would  let  us  go  ?"  asked  Lewis. 

"The  colonel  likes  fun  too  well  himself  to  want  to  keep  others 
from  having  it,"  put  in  O'Brien. 

The  Irishman  was  right  about  it ;  no  difficulty  was  experi 
enced  in  getting  permission  to  go,  and  the  three  men  set  out  on 
an  expedition  which  seems,  to  us  in  these  cool  days  of  peace,  ab 
solutely  foolhardy.  As  Lewis  and  Smith  had  both  said,  the  force 
of  Federal  raiders  was  a  large  one;  and  they  could  not  tell  but 
what,  on  approaching  the  column,  they  might  be  captured ;  as 
vessels  which  venture  too  near  a  whirlpool  are  sucked  into  the 
vortex  and  lost  in  the  waters.  Nevertheless,  they  set  out,  rid 
ing  through  a  yellow  winter  fog  so  dense  they  could  hardly  dis 
tinguish  one  object  from  another  at  a  distance  of  fifty  yards ;  and 
over  ground  covered  with  a  coating  of  ice,  as  thick  and  smooth, 
almost,  as  a  plate-glass  mirror.  The  sleet  which  had  thus  cov 
ered  the  ground  had  indeed  ceased  to  fall,  but  that  was  the  only 
good  thing  to  be  said  of  the  weather ;  and  satisfaction  on  that 
head  was  much  marred  by  thinking  of  the  state  of  affairs  under 
foot. 

But  though  they  could  not  see  the  enemy  at  any  considerable 
distance,  they  could  hear  the  tread  of  the  horses'  hoofs  from  afar 
off,  rattling  on  the  ice-covered  road.  When  such  sounds  gave 
warning,  then,  that  they  were  nearing  the  highway  along  which 
the  Federals  would  pass,  the  Warrenton  and  Bethel  road,  they 
halted  until  the  main  column  should  have  gone  by.  Then,  with 
the  principal  force  out  of  hearing,  they  might  fall  upon  the 
stragglers  in  the  rear  of  the  column.  They  were  so  near  that 
they  could  hear  the  successful  raiders  laughing  and  talking  as 
they  rode  onward. 

"Och,  we'll  not  be  getting  any  of  thim  here,"  exclaimed 
O'Brien,  in  atone  of  disgust.  "Let's  be  getting  a  thrifle  nearer." 

Without  waiting  for  a  reply,  he  spurred  his  horse  onward, 
while  the  others,  nothing  loth,  followed  suit.  But  their  haste 
was  ill-timed,  for  they  were  discovered  by  a  considerable  body 
of  Federals,  and  saluted  with  a  shower  of  random  shots.  The 
bullets  passed  harmlessly  over  their  heads,  and  the  Confeder 
ates,  wheeling  their  horses,  retreated  with  more  haste  than 
valor.  Then  ensued  an  exciting  race,  as  eight  or  ten  of  the  Fed- 


A  Raid  for  Horses.  585 

erals,  divining  the  true  state  of  affairs,  dashed  after  the  flying 
gray-jackets.  The  fog  was  so  thick  and  yellow  that  the  fugi 
tives  could  not  be  discerned;  the  clatter  of  the  horses'  hoofs 
over  the  ice-covered  ground  was  the  only  guide  that  the  pur 
suers  had.  As  for  the  Confederates, 

«*  They  stayed  not  for  brake,  and  they  stopped  not  for  stone." 
And  the  Federals  finally  gave  up  the  chase  in  despair. 

Finding  that  they  were  no  longer  pursued,  the  three  Eebs  re 
turned  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  road,  hoping  that  by  that  time 
the  main  column  would  be  well  past,  and  that  they  might  carry  out 
their  original  plans  without  any  such  interruption  as  the  recent 
race.  They  had  not  gone  far  down  the  road,  when  they  met  a 
party  of  five  Yanks  riding  leisurely  along,  two  of  whom  led  each 
a  second  horse.  This  was  the  prize  for  which  they  had  been 
looking.  Charging  suddenly  from  the  undergrowth  beside  the 
road  into  the  very  heart  of  the  squad,  the  Confederates  gave 
that  unearthly  screech  then  famous  as  the  "Kebel  yell."  The 
blue-coats,  confused  by  the  suddenness  of  the  onslaught,  were 
unable  to  defend  themselves  ;  indeed,  they  were  not  certain  but 
that  a  whole  company  had  charged  upon  them  ;  and  although 
their  hands  instinctively  sought  their  revolvers,  the  weapons 
were  drawn  only  to  be  given  up  to  their  captors. 

"We'll  have  to  give  it  up,  now,  I  reckon,  and  take  our  prison 
ers  in,"  said  Private  Lewis. 

"It's  an  awful  shame,  too,  for  my  horse  is  as  fresh  as  a  daisy, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  rider,"  answered  Private  Smith. 

"So  is  mine,  for  that  matter,"  rejoined  the  first  speaker,  "and 
if  you  can  suggest  a  better  plan,  I'll  be  only  too  glad  to  put  it 
into  execution." 

"I  was  out  on  picket-duty  last  night,"  said  Private  O'Brien, 
"and  I  don't  care  for  any  more  fun ;  so  if  you're  wanting  the 
prisoners  tuk  to  the  rear,  I'm  your  man." 

"O'Brien,  you're  a  jewel  of  the  first-water!"  exclaimed  Smith, 
his  whole  face  expressing  gratitude. 

"A  regular  brick,"  added  Lewis. 

"It's  the  first  time  in  me  life  I  ever  heard  a  brick  was  a  jewel, 
but  I'll  take  your  word  for  it." 

"Well,  you  see,  I  didn't  want  to  call  you  an  emerald,  for  fear 
the  prisoners  would  think  you  were  green." 

"They'd  soon  find  out  the  differ.  But  good-bye;  and  good 
luck  to  you  I" 


586  A  Maid  for  Horses. 

"Good-bye — and  thank  you  for  any  luck  we  may  have.  You 
shall  have  your  full  share  of  the  booty." 

"Yes,  you  can  count  on  that." 

The  two  parties  rode  off  in  different  directions ;  O'Brien,  with 
the  prisoners,  to  Mosby's  main  camp  ;  the  other  two  in  search 
of  farther  adventures.  It  may  as  well  be  said  here  that  the  gal 
lant  Irishman  reached  his  destination  safely,  with  all  the  pris 
oners  and  horses  committed  to  his  charge;  such  a  thing  being 
made  possible  only  by  the  most  ceaseless  vigilance  on  his  part. 

Feeling  assured  from  what  they  had  themselves  seen  that  they 
would  meet  only  with  small  parties  of  the  enemy,  they  rode  on 
boldly  toward  Warrenton.  They  were  within  three  miles  of 
that  place  when  they  saw,  riding  quietly  along  the  road,  with 
out  any  appearance  of  haste,  three  blue-coated  cavalrymen.  A 
little  closer  inspection  showed  that  two  of  the  three  were  wiui-e 
men,  while  the  other  was  one  of  those  proverbial  during  the 
war  as  having  "fought  nobly."  Dashing  upon  these  as  in  the 
former  case,  their  demand  for  a  surrender  met  with  no  response 
in  words ;  the  actions  expressed  a  most  decided  negative.  There 
were  some  shots  exchanged,  but  without  injury  on  either  side; 
and  in  a  few  moment's  time,  the  Federals  wheeled  their  horses 
and  galloped  away,  closely  followed  by  the  Confederates. 

For  a  mile  they  dashed  onward,  uphill  and  downhill,  over 
plowed  fields  and  through  thickets;  clearing  the  fences  with 
out  a  pause  to  think  of  the  odds.  But  the  horses  of  the  Feder 
als  were  fatigued  by  their  recent  trip,  and  the  pursuers  steadily 
gained  upon  the  fugitives.  In  order  to  complicate  the  chase,  the 
blue-coats  scattered  ;  and  the  gray-jackets,  quick  to  perceive  the 
intention,  separated,  Smith  pursuing  the  negro,  and  Lewis  the 
two  whites.  If  the  superior  freshness  of  the  horse  he  rode  had 
given  him  the  advantage  before,  it  now  enabled  Smith  to  lessen 
the  distance  still  more  rapidly  between  himself  and  his  game. 
Shot  after  shot  was  fired  at  the  dodging  fugitive,  the  last  when 
he  was  not  more  than  two  yards  away. 

"Surrender!"  cried  Smith,  his  still  smoking  revolver  aimed  at 
the  negro's  head  as  he  rode  forward.  But  just  as  the  Confeder 
ate  reached  out  to  catch  the  bridle-rein,  his  own  horse  slipped 
and  fell  on  the  icy  road,  carrying  the  rider  heavily  to  the  earth. 
The  Federal's  horse,  startled  by  the  sudden  jerk  of  the  rein, 
plunged  wildly  ;  and  the  negro,  already  mortally  wounded  and 
scarcely  able  to  keep  his  seat,  rolled  helplessly  from  the  saddle. 


A  Raid  for  Horses.  587 

But  Lewis  had  been  less  fortunate  in  his  pursuit;  his  game 
had  well-nigh  escaped  his  clutches,  when  he  saw  the  mishap  of 
his  friend.  Fearing  that  the  negro  had  obtained  the  mastery, 
he  hastened  back;  though  the  fog  had  cleared  away  somewhat, 
it  was  still  so  dense  that  he  did  not  see  the  true  state  of  affairs 
until  within  a  few  yards  of  the  scene;  for  Smith  was  so  entan 
gled  in  the  stirrups  that  he  would  have  fared  badly  in  case  his 
enemy  had  been  less  helpless.  It  was  not  until  Lewis  had  al 
most  reached  him  that  he  freed  himself  and  sprang  to  his  feet. 
Thus  they  failed  to  take  alive  any  one  of  these  three;  the  col 
ored  soldier  having  been  killed,  while  the  white  men  escaped. 

Eiding  on,  somewhat  chagrined  by  the  failure,  it  was  fully 
half  an  hour  before  another  opportunity  offered  itself.  The  en 
emy  then  was  represented  by  two  cavalrymen,  from  whom  they 
were  separated  only  by  a  fence  and  some  twenty  yards  of  field. 
The  Federals  had  ridden  up  to  the  bars  which  separated  the  cul 
tivated  ground  from  the  road,  and  were  about  to  let  them  down; 
probably  intending  to  look  for  a  house  at  which  they  could  get 
dinner;  when  the  Confederates  dashed  at  them,  shouting  a  de» 
mand  to  surrender.  The  answer  came  readily  enough — a  pistol- 
shot;  to  which  the  attacking  party  replied  without  delay.  In 
the  brisk  little  battle  which  ensued,  the  horse  of  one  of  the  Fed- 
erals  was  shot.  The  rider  sprang  to  the  ground  and  was  about 
to  fight  on  foot,  when  his  companion,  thinking  himself  left  alone 
to  resist  two,  wheeled  his  horse  and  galloped  off.  Thus  desert 
ed,  the  dismounted  trooper  could  only  surrender;  and  the  pris 
oner  was  carried  off  in  triumph. 

But  they  were  not  to  proceed  far  with  him.  The  firing  had 
alarmed  a  considerable  body  of  Federals  that  was  coming  down 
the  road,  and  the  trooper  who  had  left  them  in  such  haste  had 
hurried  back  to  this  force.  His  story  was  soon  told  ;  how  much 
his  excited  imagination  added  to  the  truth  is  not  certain  ;  but  no 
less  than  one  hundred  men  were  detailed  to  put  the  host  of  Con 
federates  to  flight.  As  the  latter  rode  off  with  their  prisoner, 
wondering  how  they  could  dispose  of  him  in  such  a  way  as  to 
permit  "more  fun,"  they  heard  the  clatter  of  hoofs  behind  them. 
Nearer  and  nearer  they  came ;  the  prisoner,  who,  by  reason  of 
lack  of  horses,  had  been  obliged  to  ride  double  with  Lewis,  and 
had,  therefore,  no  chance  of  escape,  felt  his  heart  beat  hard.  He 
looked  back.  Behind  Smith,  who  acted  as  rear-guard,  was  the 
bluish  mass  that  told  him  his  comrades  were  coming  to  his 


588  A  Raid  for  Horses. 

rescue.  Lewis  and  Smith  looked  back,  too,  but  to  them  the 
prospect  was  less  cheerful.  There  was  a  moment's  consultation ; 
then  they  stopped,  and  Lewis  addressed  the  prisoner : 

"I'm  very  sorry  we  can't  have  the  pleasure  of  your  company 
any  longer,  but  my  horse  can't  make  good  time  when  he  carries 
double.  There  are  your  friends  ;  you'd  better  wait  until  they 
come  up;  we  can't  very  well  do  so.  Good  bye/' 

"Good  bye/'  answered  the  late  prisoner;  "I  can't  say  I'm  sor 
ry  to  leave  you,  but  I  wish  you'd  let  me  introduce  you  to  my 
friends." 

But  the  offer  was  declined  with  a  laugh,  as  the  two  Confeder 
ates  rode  off  at  full  speed,  followed  by  the  Federals  for  a  short 
distance.  But  the  latter  soon  gave  up  the  chase,  as  they  were 
somewhat  disgusted  as  soon  as  they  found  how  small  a  party 
they  had  been  sent  to  pursue.  Safely  out  of  reach  of  the  enemy, 
Lewis  and  Smith  began  to  discuss  their  adventures. 

"I  never  saw  so  much  bad  luck,"  grumbled  Lewis;  "three  of 
us,  and  only  five  prisoners  and  seven  horses  to  show  for  our 
leave  of  absence  from  camp.  It's  too  bad." 

"Yes,"  assented  Smith;  "and  the  worst  of  it  is,  we  haven't 
accomplished  a  thing  since  O'Brien  went  back.  There  were  at 
least  five  of  them  that  we  ought  to  have  had ;  but  the  darkey  got 
killed,  and  we  had  to  leave  one,  and  the  others  got  away." 

"I  tell  you,"  said  Lewis,  suddenly  struck  by  a  happy  thought, 
"there  won't  be  any  more  Feds  along,  I  reckon;  let's  go  home 
and  see  the  folks  at  Cedar  Hill." 

"I  don't  look  very  nice" —  began  the  other. 

"  O,  a  uniform  is  better  than  any  other  kind  of  clothes,  in 
their  eyes.  Besides,  the  girls  will  be  dressed  in  homespun  ;  so 
they'll  call  it  square.  Bless  you,  my  boy,  they'll  be  so  glad  to 
see  us  they  won't  give  a  second  thought  to  our  appearance." 

"It  wasn't  the  clothing  so  much  as  a  general  untidiness.  Let's 
stop  and  make  our  toilets  at  the  spring  in 's  field." 

The  suggestion  was  adopted;  the  powder-stains  were  washed 
off,  the  worn  gray  uniforms  brushed  as  well  as  circumstances 
would  allow — they  had  neither  bristle  brush  or  whisk — and  they 
rode  on  to  the  house.  As  Lewis  had  predicted,  his  mother  and 
sisters  looked  not  at  the  outer  man,  but  welcomed  the  soldier  son 
and  his  companion  most  heartily.  The  homespun  dresses,  dyed 
a  dark  brown  with  walnut-hulls,  were  freshened  up  with 
ribbons  which  in  better  days  had  been  discarded;  but  which, 


A  Raid  for  Horses. 


589 


when  new  ones  became  unattainable,  had  been  eagerly  hunted 
up,  and  washed  and  ironed  for  future  use.  Their  shoes  had  been 
fashioned  from  bits  of  cloth  by  their  own  nimble  fingers  5  the 
soles  of  those  bought  "  before  the  War"  doing  duty  a  second  time, 
perhaps  even  oftener.  They  wore  no  jewelry,  for  not  only  would 
it  have  been  most  inappropriate  to  their  present  costumes,  but 
they  dared  not  display  it,  lest  it  be  taken  from  them  by  the 
strong  hand  of  the  bushwhacker. 


The  Toilet. 

"I  declare,  it's  too  bad,"  said  Mrs. Lewis,  after  the  first  wel- 
comings  were  over,  being,  like  a  good  housewife,  "on  hospitable 
thoughts  intent."  "If  you  had  come  a  day  or  so  sooner  I'd  have 
had  a  real  nice  dinner  for  you  ;  but  there  were  fifteen  Yankees 
here  for  dinner  yesterday,  and  they  ate  up  nearly  everything  on 
the  place." 

"  Don't  let  that  trouble  you,  ma'am,"  returned  Smith.  "We 
only  intended  to  make  a  short  call." 

"  Indeed,  you  shall  not  leave  the  house  to-night.  But  I  had 
such  nice  mince  pies.  Currants  and  raisins  are  not  to  be  had, 
of  course,  but  I  used  some  cherries  I  dried  last  summer,  and 
you'd  have  been  surprised  at  the  result.  The  Feds  even  made 
me  cook  my  Christmas  turkey,  that  I  had  hung  out  to  freeze." 

"  Why,  did  they  stop  so  long?"  asked  her  son,  in  surprise. 

"O,  they  sent  word  that  they'd  be  here;    and  the  two  who 


590  A  Raid  for  Horses. 

brought  the  message  ordered  the  bill  of  fare.  But  I  can  give  you 
some  good  coffee — not  made  out  of  rye — and  I  know  that  that 
will  be  a  luxury." 

"  I've  most  forgotten  how  the  real  article  tastes,  we've  been 
drinking  the  rye  so  long/' 

"Well,  this  isn't  really  Eio  or  Java;  it's  nothing  more  than 
sweet  potatoes,  cut  up  and  browned,  and  then  used  just  like  cof- 
Fee-grains  ;  but  you  wouldn't  be  able  to  tell  the  difference.  Then 
it  don't  need  any  sugar,  either,  and  that's  an  advantage  nowa 
days." 

The  table  was  soon  spread  with  what  seemed,  to  the  half  fam 
ished  soldiers,  a  veritable  feast;  and  not  only  did  hunger  make 
it  seem  better  than  it  was,  but  the  fact  that  it  was  not  camp  cook 
ing  rendered  it  more  palatable.  Adepts  as  the  ladies  had  become 
in  the  art  of  concealing  portables,  many  things  had  escaped  the 
sharp  eyes  of  the  Federals.  One  of  the  much-vaunted  mince  pie? 
was  produced  from  the  recesses  of  a  pile  of  milk-pans;  the  re 
mains  of  the  turkey,  scant  as  they  were,  had  been  skillfully  pre 
pared  for  use  ;  the  corn-bread  was  yellow  with  the  treasures  of 
hidden  nests  that  could  not  be  found  when  their  contents  were 
required  by  the  enemy;  while  broiled  chicken  and  ham  adorned 
the  end  of  the  board. 

The  evening  passed  merrily,  for  the  soldiers  did  not  need  much 
pressing  to  be  induced  to  remain.  But  song  and  story  were  end 
ed  at  last,  and  at  a  late  hour  the  party  separated  for  the  night  • 
the  two  soldiers  being  lodged  in  one  room.  After  their  day's 
hard  riding,  they  slept  well.  The  night  wore  on,  and  the  "  wee, 
sma'  hours"  had  come.  The  clock  marked  three  in  the  morning 
when  the  tired  slumberers  were  aroused  by  a  tremendous  knock 
ing,  seemingly  at  all  the  outer  doors  of  the  house. 

"  Open  the  doors,  or  we'll  batter  them  down  !"  cried  a  dozen 
stern  voices ;  and,  as  if  in  fulfillment  of  the  threat,  the  knocking, 
which  had  ceased  for  the  moment,  recommenced.  Broad  awake 
at  once,  as  became  soldiers,  the  two  guests  held  a  hurried  coun 
cil  of  war. 

"  The  house  is  surrounded  by  Yankees/' 

"  What  are  we  to  do  ?" 

"  The  roof  of  the  porch  is  just  under  this  window  ;  we  might 
get  out  on  that." 

"Yes,  the  night  is  dark  enough  to  shelter  us;  but  what  after 
we  get  on  the  porch?  They  seem  to  be  in  the  yard  all  around 


A  Raid  for  Horses.  591 

the  house.     There  don't  seem  much  chance  of  escape,  I  fear." 

"We  could  lie  close  up  to  the  wall — the  roof  is  flat — and  wait 
until  they  give  up  the  search." 

"All  right,  then.  I  reckon  we'd  better  take  one  pistol  apiece 
with  us." 

"Yes  ;  we  can  throw  the  rest  under  the  bed.   Are  you  ready  ?" 

"Yes  ;  come  on." 

The  window  was  cautiously  opened,  and  shielded  by  the  in 
tense  darkness  of  the  night,  they  stepped  out  upon  the  roof. 


"  Surrounded  by  Yankees  /" 

There  was  an  element,  however,  which  had  not  entered  into 
their  calculations — the  tin  roof  was  covered  with  ice,  and  it  was 
impossible  for  them  to  walk  without  noise.  The  sound  of  their 
footsteps  was  at  once  heard  by  the  enemy  in  the  yard  below. 
Instantly  there  were  thirty  or  forty  shots  fired  at  them,  and  as 
many  voices  called  upon  them  to  surrender. 

"  I  reckon  we'll  have  to,"  said  Smith  in  a  low  tone  to  Lewis, 
who  assented;  the  former  then  called  : 

"All  right ;  here's  my  pistol ;  catch  it  somebody." 
He  tossed  his  pistol  downward,  not  without  a  grim  hope  that 
it  might  fall  on  somebody's  head ;  a  hope,  however,  that  was  des 
tined  to  disappointment.     The  doors  of  the  house  had  by  this 
time  been  opened,  and  an  officer,  followed  by  an  orderly  carrying 


592  A  Raid  for  Horses. 

a  light,  had  made  his  way  to  the  bedroom  lately  occupied  hy  the 
two  Confederates.  To  him,  accordingly,  as  the  representative 
of  a  company  of  the  Eighth  Illinois  Cavalry,  they  surrendered. 

Upon  the  parting,  so  strangely  contrasting  with  the  innocent, 
light-hearted  gayety  of  the  evening,  we  need  not  dwell.  There 
were  enough  tears  lavished  upon  the  son  and  brother,  enough 
prayers  sent  after  him,  to  serve  the  stranger  too.  But  the  leave- 
taking  was  cut  short  by  the  captors,  who  were  not  altogether  cruel 
in  doing  so.  To  their  great  joy,  the  two  prisoners  found  that 
their  own  horses  had  been  saddled  for  them,  though  they  gave  no 
vent  to  their  feelings,  and  forbore  to  boast  that  the  animals  were 
remarkable  for  speed  and  bottom.  But  the  Federals  arranged 
things  so  carefully  that  escape  seemed  impossible.  There  were 
several  other  companies  at  the  barn,  beside  the  one  which  had 
surrounded  the  house,  and  the  prisoners  were  placed  in  the  cen 
tre  of  the  long  column ;  a  man  on  either  side  to  prevent  escape 
in  that  direction. 

"Can't  some  of  you  give  me  a  spur?"  pleaded  Smith;  "I'm 
afraid  I  can't  keep  up,  this  old  horse  of  mine  is  so  nearly  played 
out." 

There  was  not  a  word  vouchsafed  in  answer,  and  he  went  on : 

"  It's  one  of  your  own  broken-down  cavalry  horses,  so  you  may 
be  sure  he  don't  amount  to  much.  Say,  Mrs.  Lewis  haven't  you 
got  any  stray  spurs  that  you  can  let  me  have  ?" 

"  I'm  afraid  not,  Mr.  Smith;  the  house  has  been  pretty  well 
emptied  of  everything  that  could  be  useful  to  a  soldier." 

"  Well,  I  suppose  he'll  go  until  he  stops ;  then  you'll  have  to 
give  me  another,  or  let  me  go." 

Still  there  was  no  reply  from  the  persons  to  whom  the  last  re 
marks  were  addressed  ;  and  the  column  moved  on.  Be  it  under 
stood  that,  in  thus  underrating  his  good  steed,  Smith  was  not 
insulting  his  captors' knowledge  of  horseflesh;  it  must  be  re 
membered  that  it  was  between  three  and  four  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  Dec.  27th,  and  the  weather  was  cloudy.  They  had 
not  gone  far  when  a  long-armed  Yankee,  having  seen  by  the 
lights  at  the  house  that  Smith  wore  a  really  good  hat,  and 
knowing  that  his  own  had  seen  its  best  days,  reached  over,  and 
suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  said  : 

"Hi,  Johnny,  let's  swap  hats." 

"  See  here,"  retorted  Smith,  you've  no  business  to  do  that,  if 
I  am  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  your  regiment." 


A  Raid  for  Horses.  593 

"Business  or  no  business,"  answered  the  captor,  uhow  are  you 
going  to  help  yourself?" 

"I'm  going  to  get  away,  the  first  opportunity  I  see,  or  know 
the  reason  why,"  thought  Smith;  but  he  answered  never  a  word, 
for  to  say  so  much  aloud  would,  of  course,  have  prevented  the 
occurrence  of  any  such  opportunity.  The  Federals,  doubtless, 
suspected  that  both  their  prisoners  held  such  intentions,  and 
maintained,  for  many  miles,  a  ceaseless  vigilance;  but  the  Con 
federates,  aware  that  they  would  be  closely  guarded  at  first, 
made  no  attempt  to  escape.  When  he  saw,  however,  that  the 
guard  beside  him,  weary  with  the  night  ride,  was  almost  nod 
ding  in  his  saddle,  Smith  swerved  suddenly  to  the  right,  and 
dashing  past  the  drowsy  blue-coat,  called,  "Good-night,"  mock 
ingly,  and  was  off  towards  the  mountains.  Every  man  in  the 
column  was  wide  awake  in  an  instant,  and  a  shower  of  bullets  sent 
after  him,  almost  before  the  sound  of  his  voice  had  reached  their 
ears.  But  the  horse  which  had  lately  figured  as  a  broken-down 
nag,  thrown  aside  as  useless  by  the  Federal  cavalry,  now  devel 
oped  a  mettle  most  extraordinary  for  such  an  animal.  Faster 
and  faster  he  went,  hardly  needing  the  digging  of  his  rider's 
boot-heels  into  his  sides,  as  he  heard  the  whistling  of  bullets,  the 
reports  of  pistols,  the  shouting,  the  clatter  of  hoofs  behind  him. 
The  fugitive  gained  rapidly  on  his  pursuers,  until  a  ditch  was 
reached.  The  spirited  horse  gathered  his  strength  for  the  leap, 
and  plunged  forward ;  but  he  slipped  upon  the  icy  ground,  and 
rolled  over.  As  the  animal  fell,  Smith,  more  fortunate  than 
when  in  pursuit  of  the  negro,  sprang  from  the  saddle,  and  pur 
sued  his  journey  on  foot. 

The  Eighth,  or  that  portion  of  it  which  had  joined  in  the  pur 
suit,  was  nearly  up  when  Smith's  horse  fell;  but  the  obscurity 
of  the  night  favored  his  concealment.  They  did  not  find,  until 
they  were  nearly  on  the  edge  of  the  ditch,  that  he  had  been  dis 
mounted,  and  after  searching  several  of  the  neighboring  thick- 
ets,  they  returned  to  the  main  column.  Meantime,  Smith  was 
making  his  way,  by  a  roundabout  road,  back  to  Cedar  hill ;  con 
jecturing  that  the  house  where  he  had  been  captured  would  be 
the  safest  place  possible,  as  they  would  not  think  of  looking  for 
him  there.  By  a  strange  coincidence,  the  talk  the  evening  be 
fore  had  turned  upon  the  danger  of  approaching  the  house  with 
out  knowing  that  the  house  was  clear;  and  Mrs.  Lewis'  mother 
ly  heart  was  filled  with  terror  as  she  thought  of  the  danger  into 


504  A  Raid  for  Horses. 

which  her  son  and  his  friend  would  have  run,  had  they  come  the 
day  before. 

"We  ought  to  have  some  sort  of  a  signal,  by  which  you  could 
call  any  one  of  us  out  to  tell  you,"  suggested  one  of  the  young 
ladies. 

"  'Whistle  and  I'll  come  to  you,  my  lad/  "  quoted  another,  by 
way  of  suggestion. 

"All  right,"  answered  the  brother,  "let  it  be  a  whistle.  But 
what  tune?  '  Dixie'?" 

"No,  that  might  be  suspected  if  there  was  any  one  here.  Let 
it  be  some  old  tune — 'Bonnie  Doon,'  for  instance — that's  neutral." 

So  it  was  agreed  upon  that  "Bonnie  Doon,"  softly  whistled  at  a 
certain  point,  should  be  the  signal  for  one  of  them  to  go  there. 
They  little  thought  that  the  appointed  sign  of  communication 
would  be  so  soon  found  useful.  It  was  about  dawn  on  that 
winter  morning,  when  the  notes  of  tho  old  song  were  heard. 
Distressed  by  the  capture  of  their  son  and  brother,  the  ladies 
had  not  attempted  to  sleep  again,  but  had  gathered  cheerlessly 
in  the  sitting-room.  The  effect  of  the  whistle  was  magical. 

"G-irls,  girls,"  remonstrated  the  mother;  "we  mustn't  all  go. 
Let  one  go  out  and  bring  him  in  very  quietly.  We  don't  know 
how  near  the  Feds  may  be." 

They  had  all  sprung  from  their  seats  by  a  common  impulse, 
but  now  paused,  a  little  impatiently,  until  she  should  select  one 
for  the  pleasing  duty.  The  chosen  messenger  lost  no  time 
on  the  way,  it  may  well  be  believed ;  but  her  triumph  on 
her  return  was  less  than  it  would  have  been  had  her  compan 
ion  been  the  other  prisoner.  But  disappointed  as  they  were, 
they  bravely  smothered  all  expression  of  it  as  they  welcomed 
the  fugitive. 

"I  expect  Eichard  will  be  along  here  in  a  little  while,"  the 
new  comer  announced,  as  soon  as  the  excitement  had  somewhat 
subsided. 

"O,  will  he?     Did  he  escape,  too  ?"  queried  all  in  chorus. 

"N — no,"  he  had  to  admit,  "he  hasn't  escaped  yet,  but  he's  go 
ing  to." 

His  tone  was  so  confident  that  it  reassured  them,  in  spite  of 
their  anxiety ;  and  they  were  soon  eagerly  questioning  him  as 
to  the  mode  of  his  escape;  keeping  one  ear  open,  meanwhile,  to 
hear  "Bonnie  Doon"  as  soon  as  it  should  be  again  whistled.  But 
while  Mr.  Smith  relates  how  he  got  away,  and  calmed  the  fears 


A  Raid  for  Horses. 


595 


of  the  ladies,  let  us  return  to  the  beloved  object  of  their  anxiety. 

"You'd  better  not  make  any  movement  that  looks  like  trying 
to  escape,"  said  the  soldier  beside  him  to  Lewis,  as  Smith  dash 
ed  off;  "just  as  soon  as  I  see  any  sign  of  it,  I'll  blow  your  brains 
out." 

"O,  it's  a  hopeless  case  for  me,"  returned  Lewis,  with  a  sigh, 
"crippled  as  I  am.  My  knee-pan  was  shattered  by  a  Minie-ball 
in  the  Wilderness,  and  it's  all  I  can  do  to  get  around." 

Thus  reassured,  the  guard  paid  but  little  further  attention  to 
Lewis,  being  absorbed  in  the  chase  of  the  escaped  prisoner.  But 


P$ajg#*<K>*--  W™^  •  r27 

^S^.        ^  -"-zr"^        \  " 


The  Signal—  "  Bonnie  Doon." 


the  officer  in  charge  of  the  force  was  more  attentive  to  his  duty, 
and  two  men  were  posted,  one  on  each  side  of  the  prisoner,  each 
with  a  drawn  pistol  in  his  hand,  having  orders  to  fire  in  case  of 
any  suspicious  movement.  In  vain  did  Lewis  repeat  his  story 
of  an  injured  knee;  a  ruse  upon  which  he  had  decided  as  soon 
as  he  saw  that  he  must  be  captured,  and  that  he  had  been  care 
ful  to  act  out.  Whether  they  believed  the  story  or  not  does 
not  appear;  but  certainly  they  were  not  induced  by  it  to  relax 
their  attentions  to  the  remaining  prisoner. 


596  A  Raid  for  Horses. 

Smith  had  bolted  just  after  the  command  had  passed  Little 
Georgetown.  From  that  point  they  had  ridden  towards  the 
plains,  and  having  reached  the  line  of  the  Manassas  Railroad, 
had  crossed  Broad  Run  on  railway  bridge,  and  turned  to  the 
left  towards  Hopewell  Gap.  Every  moment  the  chances  were 
growing  less  and  less,  for  every  moment  they  were  drawing 
nearer  to  the  Federal  camp.  As  they  turned  to  the  right,  Lewis 
spurred  suddenly  to  the  left,  and  was  fifty  yards  away  before 
even  his  special  guards  took  in  the  situation.  The  whole  force 
dasheu  after  him  in  the  wildest  disorder,  for  to  have  both  the 
prisoners  escape  was  a  thing  not  to  be  quietly  borne.  Lewis7 
horse  gave  every  promise  of  distancing  the  pursuers,  when,  in 
crossing  a  swampy  place,  he  failed  to  find  the  solid  road,  and 
sank  to  the  saddle  girths.  Seeming  to  understand  the  perilous 
situation  of  his  rider,  the  animal  floundered  about  in  the  mud, 
trying  to  free  himself  and  to  find  a  firmer  foothold. 

Every  moment  the  host  of  pursuers  was  getting  nearer  and 
nearer;  if,  in  a  moment,  the  horse  cannot  extricate  himself,  the 
soldier  knows  he  will  be  recaptured.  Yet  the  horse,  in  spite  of 
all  his  eiforts,  must  fail ;  so  Lewis  quietly  slips  from  the  saddle, 
and  crouclios  in  a  laurel  thicket  near  by.  '  The  horse,  relieved  of 
his  rider's  weight,  struggles  tj  better  advantage,  and  is  free  be 
fore  the  pursuers  have  approache  close  enough  to  see  that  the 
saddle  is  empty.  Once  out  of  the  mudhole,  the  horse  almost 
flew  up  the  railroad,  followed  hotly  by  the  whole  body  of  Fed 
erals  ;  his  pace  by  no  means  the  slower  by  reason  of  the  bullets 
that  whistled  over  his  head,  the  bullets  fired  at  the  rider  who 
was  not  in  the  saddle.  At  last,  however,  they  were  obliged  to 
give  up  the  chase,  for  their  own  animals  had  the  disadvantage 
of  being  each  burdened  with  a  rider. 

Meanwhile,  Lewis  lay  in  the  laurels,  anxiously  waiting  until 
the  sound  of  hoofs  should  die  away.  As  they  grew  fainter  and 
fainter,  he  came  out  of  his  hiding-place  and  bent  his  steps  to 
wards  Cedar  Hill,  where  he  arrived  safely  some  two  hours  after 
Smith  got  there.  Whether  or  not  the  Federals  ever  knew  why 
that  horse  could  run  so  fast,  is  a  matter  on  which  history  is  silent, 
nor  is  it  recorded  how  long  they  continued  the  chase.  Both 
horses  made  their  way  to  a  point  on  Pignut  Mountain,  at  which 
their  masters  had  often  camped,  and  were  found  there  a  few 
hours  later,  none  the  worse  for  their  early  morning  race. 

Smith  and  Lewis  left  Cedar  Hill  for  the  second  time  tha* 


A  Raid  for  Horses.  597 

morning,  under  less  sorrowful  auspices,  and  returned  safely  to 
camp,  to  divide  the  horses  they  had  captured,  and  to  recount  to 
their  comrades,  beside  the  camp-fire,  the  adventures  of  the  day 
and  night. 

NOTE. — To  those  who  are  sticklers  for  the  observance  of  law, 
the  project  of  the  three  men  whose  adventures  are  above  rela 
ted  may  seem  to  be  pure  horse  stealing  •  such  as,  in  the  opinion 
of  our  brethren  of  the  Far  West,  is  best  rewarded  by  a  hempen 
necktie  fastened  with  a  slip-knot.  For  the  benefit  of  such  per 
sons  as  would  make  the  soldier,  in  time  of  war,  subject  to  the 
same  code  as  the  citizen  in  time  of  peace,  we  append  the  letter 
of  the  present  General  of  the  Army,  written  in  reply  to  the  com 
plaint  of  a  Confederate  clergyman  : 

ATLANTA,  GA.,  Sept.  16,  1864. 
"  Kev. ,  Confederate  Army : 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  Your  letter  of  Sept.  14th,  is  received.  I  approach  a  question  involv 
ing  the  title  of  a  horse  with  great  diffidence;  for  the  laws  of  war  —  that  mysterious 
code  of  which  we  talk  so  much  and  know  so  little,  are  remarkably  silent  on  the  horse. 
He  is  a  beast  so  tempting  to  the  soldier,  to  him  of  wild  cavalry,  the  fancy  artillery,  or 
the  patient  infantry,  that  I  find  more  difficulty  in  recovering  a  worthless,  spavined 
beast  than  in  paying  a  million  of  greenbacks  ;  so  I  fear  I  must  reduce  your  claim  to 
one  of  finance,  and  refer  you  to  the  Board  of  Claims  in  Washington.  That  may 
reach  your  case  by  the  time  that  your  grandchild  becomes  a  great  grandfather. 

"Privately,  I  think  it  was  a  shabby  thing  in  the  scamp  of  the  Thirty-first  Missouri 
who  took  your  horse,  and  the  Colonel  or  his  Brigadier  should  have  returned  him; 
but  I  cannot  undertake  to  make  good  the  sins  of  omission  of  my  own  Colonels  or 
Brigadiers,  much  less  of  those  of  a  former  generation.  'When  this  cruel  war  is 
over,'  and  peace  once  more  gives  you  a  parish,  I  will  promise,  if  near  you,  to  procure 
out  of  one  of  Uncle  Sam's  corrals  a  beast  that  will  replace  the  one  taken  from  you  so 
wrongfully.  But  now  'tis  impossible.  We  have  a  big  journey  before  us,  and  will 
need  all  we  have,  and,  I  fear,  more  too ;  so  look  out  when  the  Yankees  are  about  and 
hide  your  beasts,  for  my  experience  is,  that  all  soldiers  are  very  careless  in  a  seai-ch 
for  title. 

"  I  know  General  Hardee  will  confirm  this  my  advice. 

"  With  great  respect,  yours  truly, 

"  WM.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General." 


CAPTURE  AND  FLIGHT  OF  CORRESPONDENTS. 

The  Newspaper  Man — Kunning  the  Confederate  Batteries  at  Yicksburg — Captured — 
Libby — Plans  to  Escape — Castle  Thunder — Salisbury — Hurry  Up — Change  in 
Management — A  Forged  Pass — Another  Plan — An  Apologetic  Guard — Past  the 
Outer  Guards— Prudent  Halt— The  Gray  Mare— Cold  Weather— Sable  Friends 
—Losing  the  Way— "  The  Old  United  States"— " Nobody  Ever  Gits  Thar"— 
The  March  across  the  Mountains — Dan  Ellis,  the  Famous  Guide — Generous 
Enemies — Danger  Threatens — A  Pretty  Guide — The  Federal  Pickets. 

THE  enterprise  of  the  American  newspaper  man  is  passing 
into  a  proverb;  he  will  have  news  at  any  price  ;  and  in 
times  of  great  public  excitement  he  is  half-wild  with  anxiety 
lest  a  rival  get  later  or  more  of  the  precious  commodity  than  he 
and  his  assistants.  The  ambition  extends  down  to  the  very 
newsboys — shall  we  wonder,  then,  to  find  it  existing  in  the 
breasts  of  the  War  Correspondents  of  highly  esteemed  journals  ? 
To  the  latter  class  belong  the  three  gentlemen  whose  adven 
tures  are  now  to  follow:  Messrs.  A.  D.  Richardson,  J.  H. 
Browne,  and  B.  T.  Colburn  ;  the  latter  representing  the  New 
York  World,  and  his  companions,  the  Tribune.  Arriving  at  Milli- 
ken's  Bend,  twenty-five  miles  above  Yicksburg,  they  found  that 
the  memorable  siege  of  that  city  had  already  begun.  Gen. 
Grant's  headquarters  were  at  Grand  Gulf,  seventy  miles  below 
the  point  at  which  they  had  just  arrived,  and  they  determined 
to  complete  their  journey  without  delay.  The  overland  trip  re 
quired  three  days  ;  that  by  water  eight  hours.  But  the  differ 
ence  of  time  seems,  at  this  distance,  to  have  been  more  than 
counterbalanced  by  the  difference  in  danger.  The  land  route 
was  infested  by  guerillas,  as  were  all  the  roads  of  the  seat  of 
war;  men  were  Northern  or  Southern  in  sentiment,  according 
598 


Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents.  599 

as  Northern  or  Southern  soldiers  offered  themselves  as  prey; 
but  the  boats  would  be  exposed  to  the  fire  from  the  batteries  of 
the  besieged  city.  But  what  of  that?  Time  was  precious.  For 
some  days  Gen.  G-rant  had  been  receiving  his  supplies  by  this 
short  route,  as  it  was  called,  and  fully  three-fourths  of  the  boats 
had  got  through  safely.  A  difference  of  more  than  sixty  hours 
would  be  of  great  importance  to  the  papers  to  which  they  trans 
mitted  news. 

When,  therefore,  they  learned  that  an  expedition  was  to  set 
out  on  the  night  of  May  3d,  they  determined  to  join  it.  The 
previous  trips  had  been  made  when  the  moon  gave  little  or  no 
light,  but  on  this  particular  night  it  shone  with  full  glory.  In 
deed,  as  they  found  after  starting,  the  expedition  seemed  de 
signed  to  tempt  the  Confederates.  The  hay  lay  loosely  over  the 
bales,  over  the  deck,  over  everything;  a  spark  from  their  own 
tug  might  ignite  it;  there  were  but  two  buckets  for  use  in  such 
a  case;  and  if  they  failed  to  extinguish  the  hay  before  it  had  set 
fire  to  the  barges,  there  was  not  a  skiff  in  which  the  men  on 
board  might  escape. 

It  was  ten  o'clock  when  the  little  tug  steamed  away  from  Mil- 
liken's  Bend,  a  huge  barge,  loaded  with  forage  and  provisions, 
on  either  side;  while  thirty-five  men  formed  the  crew,  defend 
ers  and  passengers.  Down  the  broad,  turbid  Mississippi,  hug 
ging  the  shore  as  closely  as  may  be,  not  only  to  avoid  the  snags 
and  sandbars  which  threaten  them  when  out  of  the  channel, 
which  then  lay  near  the  shore,  but  that  by  keeping  such  a  course 
they  might  screen  themselv  ,,  partially,  at  least,  by  the  dense 
overhanging  foliage. 

For  three  hours  they  steamed  quietly  along,  and  still  the 
moonlight  lay  peacefully  on  the  broad  yellow  waters.  Sudden 
ly  a  rocket  shot  up  into  the  air — some  Rebel,  lurking  in  the  for 
ests  that  skirt  the  stream  on  both  banks,  took  this  means  of  sig 
nalling  their  presence  to  his  comrades  in  the  city.  Scarcely  ten 
minutes  had  passed  before  a  shot  plunged,  hissing  and  steaming 
into  the  water  just  before  them  ;  and  almost  at  the  same  instant 
a  shell  exploded  upon  one  of  the  barges.  Eapidly  the  deadly 
missiles  followed;  nor  was  there  a  chance  of  getting  out  of 
range;  the  Confederates  were  in  excellent  practice,  and  the  riv 
er  winds  back  and  forth  so  persistently  around  Yicksburg  that 
for  nearly  seven  miles  it  would  be  impossible  to  get  beyond 
range.  All  along  the  shore,  it  seemed,  were  huge  dark  caverns, 


600  Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents. 

out  of  which  flashed  sheets  of  flame,  wierdly  illuming  the  night. 

But  as  time  went  on,  the  idea  of  passing  the  batteries  in  safe 
ty  was  not  so  hopeless  as  it  had  at  first  seemed.  More  than  two- 
thirds  of  the  distance  had  been  passed — two  miles  farther,  and 
they  would  no  longer  be  exposed  to  the  guns.  But  they  had 
hardly  begun  to  congratulate  themselves  on  being  thus  far  safe, 
when  a  shell  struck  the  tug,  killing  its  captain  and  the  man  at 
the  wheel;  they  heard  the  shriek  of  the  two  men  as  the  frag 
ments  of  shell  descended  ;  they  heard  a  huge  crash,  followed  by 
a  wild  yell  from  the  shore.  Peering  through  the  shower  of  cin 
ders  and  ashes  that  fell  about  them,  they  saw  the  whirling  of 
the  waters  as  the  tug  went  down.  Nor  was  this  the  worst.  The 
shell  which  had  struck  the  boiler  and  caused  the  explosion  of 
that,  had  passed  through  it  into  the  furnaces,  and  bursting  there, 
scattered  the  fire  over  the  barges.  Of  course,  the  loose  hay  was 
soon  in  a  blaze,  which  it  was  impossible,  despite  all  their  eiforts, 
to  trample  out. 

Military  discipline  was  of  course  at  an  end  ;  it  was  equally  im 
possible  and  unnecessary;  the  only  order  to  be  given  was, 
"Sauve  qul  pent" — in  plain  English,  "Take  care  of  yourself." 
Every  one  busied  himself  throwing  bales  of  hay  into  the  water 
for  the  assistance  of  those  who  could  not  swim;  for  the  crew  of 
the  tug  and  many  of  the  soldiers  were  in  the  water,  clinging 
helplessly  to  the  fragments  of  the  wrecked  tug. 

From  the  stern  of  the  barge  rose  a  huge  sheet  of  flame,  whose 
red  glare,  mingled  with  the  pale  moonlight,  gave  a  ghastly  ef 
fect  to  the  whole  scene;  and,  what  was  far  worse,  enabled  the 
gunners  to  take  excellent  aim.  Between  shot  and  fire,  the  barges 
were  rapidly  becoming  untenable,  and  those  still  remaining  up 
on  them  found  themselves  obliged  to  adopt  the  plan  of  the  oth 
ers,  and  try  to  navigate  on  bales  of  hay.  Among  these  were  the 
three  newspaper  men.  But  there  was  no  chance  of  escape; 
both  banks  of  the  river  were  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy;  the 
Eebel  pickets  were  posted  for  a  distance  of  ten  or  twelve  miles 
below — farther  than  they  could  hope  to  be  carried  by  the  current 
before  daylight  should  expose  them  to  musket-shot.  There  was 
absolutely  no  hope  of  escape. 

"Hallo,  there  !     Haven't  you  any  boats  ?" 

This  came  from  the  shore.  The  answer  in  the  negative  was 
followed  by  a  pause  in  the  firing,  and  the  silence  of  the  night 
was  presently  interrupted  by  the  sound  of  oars.  One  after  an- 


602 


Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents. 


Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents.  603 

other  the  floaters  were  picked  up  and  transferred  to  the  yawl 
which  the  Confederates  sent  out.  When  landed,  it  was  found 
that  eight  or  ten  were  missing,  sixteen  alive  and  unhurt,  and  the 
remainder  scalded  or  wounded.  Many  of  them,  to  reduce  their 
weight  as  much  as  possible  for  swimming,  had  cast  off  much  of 
their  clothing  as  an  encumbrance,  and  now,  in  the  march  that 
followed,  suffered  for  it.  Especially  was  this  the  case  with  those 
who  had  divested  themselves  of  their  shoes,  as  many  had  done. 

They  had  landed  two  miles  below  the  city,  to  which  the  offi 
cer  in  command  speedily  conducted  them.  Their  names  register 
ed  there  by  the  commander  of  the  City  Guard,  they  were  taken 
just  before  daylight,  to  the  city  jail.  They  did  not  long  remain 
here,  however,  being  transferred  to  more  pleasant  quarters  dur 
ing  the  day,  and  on  Tuesday,  being  duly  paroled,  they  were  put 
on  board  a  train  bound  for  Richmond,  whence  they  were  to  be 
exchanged. 

Traveling,  though  by  rail  and  steamer,  at  a  snail's  pace,  it  was 
eleven  days  before  they  reached  their  destination.  They  were 
taken  to  Libby,  that  terror  of  the  Northern  soldier,  there  to  re 
main,  they  could  not  tell  how  long.  Colburn  was  almost  imme 
diately  released,  but  the  other  two  were  regarded  with  pecu 
liar  disfavor  as  attaches  of  the  Tribune,  looked  upon  as  an  abo 
lition  sheet,  and  detained  in  prison  ;  the  authorities  refusing  to 
ratify  the  act  of  the  agent  who  had  paroled  them  and  promised 
that  they  should  be  speedily  exchanged. 

Many  were  the  devices  employed  here,  as  in  all  military  pris 
ons,  to  kill  time;  reading,  studying,  carving  ornaments  from 
bones  and  rubber  buttons,  playing  cards,  talking  of  home,  mock 
trials,  discussing  political  matters,  and  so  forth  ;  but  chief  in  in 
terest  became  planning  an  escape.  Many  were  the  ingenious 
devices  hit  upon  by  men  whom  long  confinement  rendered 
desperate;  but  over  the  many  we  have  no  time  to  linger;  it 
must  be  enough  to  tell  of  one. 

More  than  once  the  quick-witted  Bohemians  of  the  great  me 
tropolis  had  endeavored  to  escape,  but  their  plans  had  been  dis 
covered  too  soon,  and  themselves  placed  in  durance  viler  than 
ever  for  the  attempt.  Removed  to  Castle  Thunder,  the  case 
seemed  more  hopeful  than  when  they  were  at  Libby;  but  month 
after  month  passed  away,  and  still  they  were  prisoners. 

More  than  a  year  and  half  elapsed  while  they  were  thus  dis 
cussing  and  trying  various  plans;  meanwhile,  as  one  of  them 


604 


Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents. 


frankly  admits,  others  who  were  less  ingenious  in  devising  and 
less  critical  in  adopting  a  path  to  freedom  had  already  escaped, 
Removed  to  Salisbury  early  in  1864,  they  did  not  discontinue 
their  efforts;  but  as  surely  as  a  plan  was  adopted  and  put  into 
execution,  so  surely  was  it  frustrated.  Tunnels  were  tried  so 
often,  and  discovered  when  on  the  eve  of  completion,  that 
Browne,  never  sanguine  as  to  the  chance  of  success,  declared  : 


Qastle  Thunder. 

"We'll  never  get  out  that  way  unless  we  run  a  tunnel  to  Knox' 
ville  and  come  to  light  again  inside  our  lines." 

As  Knoxville  was  two  hundred  miles  away,  this  was  only 
another  way  of  saying  "impossible." 

At  last  a  better  plan  was  devised.  Mr.  Win.  E.  Davis,  of  the 
Cincinnati  Gazette,  and  Mr.  Browne,  had  been  allowed  to  assist 
in  the  prison  hospital,  being  provided  with  passes  that  would 
permit  them  to  pass  the  first  line  of  guards.  Theoretically,  every 
one  to  whom  this  extent  of  liberty  was  accorded,  gave  his  parole 
not  to  abuse  it  by  attempting  to  escape ;  but  several  officers  were 
charged  with  this  duty,  and,  among  them,  in  some  way,  our  two 
correspondents  were  forgotten,  and  not  required  to  give  the 
necessary  guaranty. 

"  Tell  you  what,  we'd  better  hurry  up,"  was  the  remark  of  one, 
as  he  came  in  from  hospital  duty  on  Saturday  morning,  Dec.  17th. 

"  Why  should  we  tear  ourselves  away?"  was  the  reply  of  one. 


Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents.  605 

"Gen.  Johnson  has  arrived  and  is  to  supersede  Major  Gee 
Monday;  he  won't  stand  any  fooling  about  passes  and  paroles,  I 
know." 

"  Then  we  will  have  to  get  away" — 

"  To-morrow.     Precisely." 

"  But  how  is  Richardson  to  get  out  without  a  pass  ?" 

This  was  a  poser.  So  many  schemes  had  been  tried  in  com 
pany,  that  they  felt  they  could  not  leave  one  of  their  trio  be 
hind. 

"  I'll  make  him  one,"  suggested  Browne,  at  length. 

So  a  good  while  had  to  be  devoted  to  preparing  the  pass,  so 
difficult  is  forgery  to  an  unaccustomed  hand.  In  the  meantime 
another  was  added  to  their  party:  Captain  Wolfe;  but  he  was  al 
ready  provided  with  the  assistant-commandant's  signature,  be 
ing  another  of  the  hospital  assistants. 

Sunday  morning  dawned,  cold  and  rainy. 

"Junius,"  said  Mr.  Richardson,  "  do  you  know  I  have  ray 
doubts  about  using  that  pass?  Suppose  the  guard  should  take 
it  into  his  head  to  send  it  up  for  examination?" 

"  Take  mine,  then  ;  that's  genuine." 

"But  what  will  you  do?" 

"  O,  they  all  know  my  face — or  I  can  call  some  one  who  can 
identify  me." 

Accordingly,  about  half  an  hour  before  dark,  the  three  hospital 
attaches  walked  boldly  past  the  sentinel.  They  were  compell 
ed  to  choose  so  early  an  hour,  because  after  dark  no  one,  be  he 
who  he  may,  could  pass  without  the  countersign.  A  few  minutes 
later,  another  of  the  prisoners,  accompanied  by  a  boy,  and  carry 
ing  a  long  box  of  empty  bottles,  approached  the  gate. 

"  Now  I'll  go  and  get  the  bottles  filled,  and  you  wait  here  until 
I  come  back ;  I  won't  be  gone  more  than  fifteen  minutes.  I 
want  you  to  distribute  them  among  the  wards  of  the  hospital. 
Don't  go  away,  now." 

"  I  won't,  sir,"  answered  the  boy,  obediently. 
Intending  to  rely,  if  possible,  upon  pure  "  cheek,"  he  attempt 
ed  to  walk  boldly  past  the  sentinel  in  whose  hearing  and  at 
whom  these  words  had  been  spoken ;  but  was  stopped  with : 

"  Have  you  got  a  pass  I" 

"Certainly  I  have,  sir;  don't  you  know  who  I  am?  You've 
seen  the  pass  often  enough." 

Somewhat  -iwed  by  his  tone,  the  soldier  replied • 


606 


Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents. 


"  I  suppose  I  have,  sir,  but  I  didn't  recognize  you  at  first.  You 
see,  they're  very  strict  since  so  many  have  escaped  in  that  way." 

Fortunately  for  many,  some  at  least  of  the  soldiers  in  both 
armies  were  not  first-rate  scholars;  while  St.  Louis  was  under 
martial  law,  a  certain  gentleman,  who  should  have  been  in  the 
guard-house,  went  about  his  daily  avocations,  protected  by  an 
old  gas  bill;  and  the  present  sentinel,  though  this  pass  bore  the 
name  of  Junius  H.  Browne,  whom  he  had  seen  go  out  a  few 
minutes  before,  and  with  whose  face  he  was  perfectly  familiar, 
handed  it  back  with: 


Salisbury  Prison. 

"It's  all  right,  sir;  pass  out.  Excuse  me  for  detaining  you." 
He  passed  out  to  join  his  companions.  It  was  necessary  to 
wait  until  it  became  a  little  darker  before  it  would  be  safe  for 
them  to  proceed  farther;  so  after  meeting  at  the  appointed  ren- 
dezvous  and  appointing  the  next  place  of  meeting,  they  separa 
ted  to  loiter  singly  about  the  hospital  until  it  should  be  d&rk 
enough  for  their  purpose. 

Many  were  the  risks  which  they  had  yet  to  run.  They  wero 
not  familiar  with  many  persons  outside  of  the  prison,  but  a  meet  - 
ing  with  any  one  of  them  would  be  equivalent  to  a  betrayal. 
Particularly  was  this  the  case  with  Mr.  Richardson,  as  he  was 
known  to  have  no  pass ;  but  although  he  met  three  acquaint 
ances,  they  did  not  have  their  wits  about  them  sufficiently  to 


Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents.  607 

think  that  anything  was  wrong.  At  last  the  wished-for  dark 
ness  arrived  ;  and  they  marched  boldly  past  the  outer  guards 
— unchallenged  ;  for  the  sentinels  supposed  that  of  course  they 
were  surgeons  or  nurses  who  had  a  perfect  right  to  pass  in  or 
out. 

They  walked  onward  as  rapidly  as  they  dared,  until  they 
reached  a  field  about  a  mile  away  from  the  prison,  where  three 
lay  down  in  a  fence  corner,  in  a  bed  of  reeds,  while  Mr.  Davis 
went  to  find  a  friend  who  had  promised  them  shelter.  Breathless 
ly  they  waited  until  the  return  of  their  companion. 

"0   me  on,"  said  he;   "it's  all  right." 

They  followed  him,  and  soon  found  their  friend  awaiting  them 
in  a  field  near  by. 

"I'm  sorry  I  can't  do  as  much  for  you,"  he  said,  "as  I  prom 
ised  ;  but  my  house  is  full  of  Eebels,  and  of  course  it  would  be 
too  dangerous  for  you  to  be  anywhere  near.  The  best  I  can  do 
is  to  take  you  to  a  tolerably  safe  place.  I've  got  to  leave  on  the 

train  that  starts  in  half  an  hour,  but  I'll  tell about  you, 

and  he  will  see  you  tomorrow." 

Conducting  them  to  a  barn,  in  full  sight  of  the  prison,  he  bade 
them  climb  into  the  haymow  and  hide  themselves  under  the 
hay.  Here  they  could  hear  the  sentinels  call:  "All's  well!" 
but  the  sound  only  lulled  them  to  rest.  They  could  well  aiford 
to  lose  time  ;  indeed,  it  was  prudence  which  advised  them  to  lie 
concealed  in  a  short  distance  of  the  prison  for  some  time;  for 
they  knew  that  the  Confederates,  as  soon  as  they  were  cogniz 
ant  of  the  escape,  would  patrol  the  country  far  and  wide.  Es 
caping  prisoners,  in  their  haste  to  get  away,  usually  traveled 
with  feverish  speed  as  far  as  possible  the  first  night,  and,  in 
their  exhaustion,  were  easily  overtaken.  Against  this  our  quar 
tette  resolved  to  guard,  by  remaining  far  within  the  line  where 
the  Confederates  would  look  for  them. 

They  relied  for  assistance  upon  three  classes  of  persons — the 
negroes,  always  ready  to  help  escaping  prisoners  of  the  Con 
federacy,  citizens  of  secret  or  avowed  Union  sympathies,  and 
some  soldiers.  It  may  be  thought  strange  that  they  expected 
aid  from  the  latter  class,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  in  any 
army  recruited  wholly  or  partly  by  conscription,  there  must  be 
some  who  are  secretly  disaffected  ;  and  at  this  stage  of  the  "War 
t>" re  was  considerable  dissatisfaction  with  the  Government  at 
Bichmond.  Their  present  host,  if  so  we  may  term  him,  \vas  a 


608  Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents. 

Confederate  soldier,  who  would  have  helped  them  much  but  for 
a  restraining  domestic  influence  ;  his  wife,  like  most  housewives 
who  had  slaves  to  deal  with,  kept  the  keys ;  and  she  waa  too 
strongly  Southern  for  him  to  dare  to  suggest  to  her  that  they 
should  feed  Northern  prisoners. 

Two  days,  then,  passed,  during  which  the  only  rations  which 
their  would-be  friend  could  supply  to  them  was  water ;  at  the 
end  of  that  time,  calculating  that  the  Confederate  scouts  would 
have  returned  from  their  fruitless  quest  and  report  that  the 
prisoners  had  made  good  their  escape,  they  repaired  to  the  ren 
dezvous  where  they  were  to  meet  Lieut.  Welborn,  of  the  Confed 
erate  militia.  He  was  accompanied  by  another  escaped  prison 
er,  a  private  soldier,  who  had  become  possessed  of  a  Confeder 
ate  uniform  and  had  walked  boldly  past  the  guards.  They 
would  find  friends,  the  officer  said,  in  a  settlement  fifty  mile" 
away ;  and  he  gave  them  written  directions  how  to  reach  this 
point. 

Bidding  this  friend  good-bye,  they  set  out,  through  the  al 
most  bottomless  mud,  along  the  road  indicated.  Turning  into 
the  woods  some  three  miles  from  their  starting  point,  they  trav 
eled  painfully  onward  until  three  A.M.,  when  they  endeavored 
to  sleep  upon  the  pine  needles  that  formed  a  thick  carpet  over 
the  ground  ;  but  the  cold  had  become  so  intense,  that,  weaken 
ed  as  they  were  by  sickness  and  long  confinement,  they  could 
not  make  themselves  comfortably  warm  while  at  rest.  Added 
to  the  other  discomforts  they  must  endure,  they  were  very  in 
sufficiently  clad;  for  to  have  dressed  too  warmly  would  have 
excited  the  suspicions  of  the  guard. 

When  daylight  came,  they  found  themselves  so  near  a  settle 
ment  that  they  dared  not  move  on  for  fear  of  attracting  atten 
tion;  and  were  obliged  to  remain  in  the  pine  thicket  until  the 
darkness  of  a  rainy  night  afforded  them  the  concealment  need 
ed.  They  approached  a  large  plantation,  and  Thurston,  the  sol 
dier,  volunteered  to  reconnoiter,  since,  in  case  of  discovery,  his 
uniform  would  protect  him.  Cautiously  approaching  the  quar 
ters,  he  found  an  old  man  and  woman  were  the  only  occupants. 

"You  want  ter  see  Massa,  sah  ?" 

Nothing  was  farther  from  his  desires;  he  responded,  with  em 
phasis: 

"No,  I  want  to  see  you/' 

"Lor,   Massa,    I  —  I  —  ain't    done   nuffln'/'    stammered     the 


Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents. 


609 


frightened   negro,  as   the   soldier   in    gray  confronted   him. 

"I  am  not  a  Bebel,"  the  soldier  went  on,  hurriedly,  "though  1 
have  on  a  gray  uniform.  I  am  one  of  a  party  of  prisoners — Yan 
kees — that  escaped  from  Salisbury  Sunday.  We  have  had 
nothing  to  eat  since  that  time  ;  can  you  give  us  something  ?" 

"Dar's  a  big  party  up  at  de  house,  an' — " 

"You  list  shet  up,  oleman;  Fll  ten'  to  dat.     You  take  dese 


Dusky  Ministering  Angels. 

gemmen  to  de  barn  and  ax 'em  up  inter  de  loft;  den  you  kin 
come  back  an'  ten'  to  tings  while  I  git  dem  some  supper." 

Poor  old  "aunty!"  She  had  nothing  but  corn-bread  and  fresh 
pork  to  offer  her  guests;  but  it  was  given  willingly,  and  they 
had  brought  that  most  excellent  of  sauces,  hunger,  with  them. 
The  food  was  speedily  prepared,  and  was  not  long  in  disappear 
ing  from  view,  bountiful  as  it  was.  Their  hunger  appeased, 
they  began  to  grow  anxious  to  be  again  upon  the  road  ;  but  for 
the  reason  that  the  old  man  had  given,  he  would  not  be  at  liber 
ty  to  act  as  their  guide  until  a  later  hour.  It  was  midnight  be 
fore  he  reappeared  among  them;  the  party  at  "the  house"  had 
dispersed,  and  by  sacrificing  some  hours  of  his  sorely  needed 


610  Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents. 

rest  he  could  guide  them  on  their  way  to  a  haven  of  safety. 

There  was  a  driving  rain;  their  boots  and  clothes  were  soak, 
ed;  the  roads  were  almost  impassable;  and  when  finally  they 
gained  the  railroad,  the  rain  was  freezing  as  it  fell,  rendering 
the  road-bed  a  sheet  of  ice,  yet  not  making  any  other  path  firm 
enough  to  bear  a  man's  weight.  Once  on  the  railroad,  theii 
guide  left  them,  telling  them  where  they  could  find  another  of 
his  race,  whose  cabin  they  would  reach  about  dawn.  So  slip 
pery  had  the  ties  become  that  it  was  impossible  to  walk  safely,, 
and  many  times  they  fell,  Captain  Wolfe  spraining  his  ankle  so 
severely  that  he  required  much  assistance  from  the  others.  Wet 
to  the  skin,  and  nearly  frozen,  they  stumbled  on  until  they  could 
reach  the  promised  shelter. 

"Dar's  so  many  Secesh  around,  sahs,  I  reckon  you  all'd  jist 
better  go  in  dis  barn  and  hide  till  night;  and  den  you  kin  come 
ober  to  de  cabin  to  supper.  It'll  be,ready." 

And  the  negro  chuckled  at  the  idea  of  helping  these  friends. 
The  barn  contained  nothing  but  some  damp  shucks,  which  form 
ed  a  very  uncomfortable  bed;  and  many  were  the  lamentations 
after  the  pipes",  which  were  irrecoverably  lost  in  the  fodder. 

After  a  day's  inaction,  which  did  little  to  rest  them  for  the 
night  journey,  they  repaired  to  the  negro  cabin,  and  were  re 
galed  with  fried  chicken  and  hot  corn-bread.  Mr.  Richardson 
had  been  saving  tea,  an  almost  unobtainable  luxury  in  the 
South,  for  more  than  a  year,  and,  before  starting,  had  filled  one 
of  his  pockets  with  the  results  of  his  economy.  This  provided 
another  luxury,  and  did  much  to  make  up  for  the  restless  day. 

The  negroes  directed  them  as  to  their  next  route,  but,  them 
selves  perfectly  familiar  with  the  country,  did  not  think  to  caution 
the  strangers  about  two  places  which  bore  the  same  name.  As 
ill-luck  would  have  it,  they  reached  the  wrong  one,  and  after  a 
weary  journey  of  fifteen  miles  through  the  night,  a  friend  (col 
ored)  informed  them  that  they  were  just  half  a  mile  nearer  their 
destination.  This  informant  sheltered  them  through  the  day  in 
a  barn  belonging  to  his  master,  a  rabid  Secessionist,  fed  them, 
and  at  night  guided  them  to  the  place  to  which  they  had  been 
directed.  Then,  though  their  boots  were  as  stiff  as  wooden 
shoes,  their  feet  bleeding,  their  clothes  hardly  dry,  their  limbs 
aching,  they  hastened  on.  Only  fifteen  miles,  and  they  would 
reach  the  settlement  of  which  Lieut.  Welborn  had  told  them. 

Once  they  were  compelled  to  apply  at  a  roadside  cabin  for  in- 


Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents.  611 

formation  as  to  the  route;  and  feared  pursuit  from  the  surly 
looking  individual  who  responded  to  their  call ;  but  either  they 
wronged  him,  or  he  lost  the  trail,  for  {.hcy  were  not  pursued. 
Some  few  miles  beyond  his  house  they  were  more  fortunate  than 
they  had  yet  been  ;  for  the  proprietor  of  a  small  "wayside  inn" 
proved  to  be  a  Unionist,  and  not  only  sheltered  and  fed  them, 
but  lent  them  two  mules  to  enable  Capt.  "Wolfe,  who  was  still 
suffering  from  his  sprain,  and  Mr.  Browne,  who  was  too  sick  to 
walk,  to  proceed  on  their  journey.  At  last,  the  designated  set 
tlement  was  reached,  and,  for  a  time,  "the  weary  were  at  rest." 

Of  course,  they  were  not  safe  even  yet;  loyal  as  the  majority 
of  these  people  were  to  the  Union,  so  that  the  neighborhood  had 
been  dubbed  "The  Old  United  States"by  the  Confederates,  there 
were  still  many  who,  as  the  others  phrased  it,  "were  not  of 
the  right  sort;"  and  it  was  necessary  that  the  latter  should  not 
know  of  the  presence  of  this  party.  Hiding  alternately  in  the 
houses  and  the  barns,  they  were  cordially  welcomed  by  their 
friends,  and  speedily  rested  and  recovered  so  far  as  to  be  fit  to 
proceed  on  their  journey. 

Their  party  received  an  accession  of  three  just  as  they  were 
about  to  start,  and  not  judging  it  as  safe  to  travel  in  one  large 
as  two  small  parties,  Thurston  joined  the  new  comers,  and  they 
went  on  their  way,  separated  by  a  distance  representing  twen 
ty-four  hours'  travel. 

On  this,  their  second  march,  they  had  the  advantage  of  start 
ing  under  more  favorable  conditions  than  on  the  first  occasion. 
Then,  they  had  been  worn  by  a  long  imprisonment,  lack  of  ex 
ercise  and  scarcity  of  food ;  now,  they  had  had  a  rest  of  five 
days,  had  been  well  fed  during  that  time,  and  were  provided 
with  better  clothing.  But  it  was  a  far  more  formidable  journey 
which  they  were  to  undertake.  The  rain  had  ceased,  and  had 
been-succeeded  by  intense  cold  ;  the  roads,  nearly  impassable  at 
best,  had  been  plowed  into  deep  ruts  during  the  muddy 
weather,  and  were  now  frozen  hard  in  that  delightful  condition. 
Nor  was  this  the  worst.  Applying  for  information  to  a  man  to 
whom  they  had  been  recommended,  they  were  told  : 

"'Tain't  no  use  tryin'  to  git  toKnoxvillc;  it's  two  hundred 
miles  away;  nobody  ever  gitsthar;  they  all  git  murdered  on 
the  way.  Besides,  the  mountains  are  kivered  with  snow,  now, 
so  they  could  track  you  easy." 

There  was  an  earnest  consultation  among  the  fugitives. 
39 


612 


Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents. 


"  We  were  told  that  we  were  pretty  well  out  of  danger  when 
we  had  crossed  the  Yadkin,"  ventured  one. 
"  'Tain't  so/'  was  the  curt  response. 
"I  guess  we'll  take  the  risk  anyhow;  we  must  get  on." 
"  We'll  pay  liberally  for  a  guide  across  the  mountains." 

"  If  you'll  wait 
till  thesnow'sgone, 
I  will  take  you 
across,"  answered 
one  of  the  group  of 
natives. 

"But  what  will 
we  do  in  the  mean 
time  ?" 

"  O,  you  can  live 
with  us  till  then," 
replied  another. 

"  Guess  we'd  bet 
ter  try  it  now." 

So  that  night 
they  started  out  to 
cross  the  Blue 
Ridge,  undeterred 
by  the  statement 
that  the  passes 
were  guarded. 
They  traveled  only 
seven  miles,  when 
they  were  obliged 
by  the  intense  cold 
to  seek  shelter  in 
an  open  corn-crib. 
Fortunately,  it  be 
longed  to  a  Union 
man,  who,  discovering  their  presence,  invited  them  into  his 
storehouse,  and  provided  them  with  food  and  bedding.  At  this 
point  they  again  separated  into  two  parties,  having  reunited  a 
short  time  before ;  and  four  left  on  the  last  day  of  1864,  the 
others  waiting  until  the  first  day  of  1865. 

The  march  across  the  mountains  was  one  of  almost  incredible 
difficulty;  through  snow  a  foot  deep,  which  covered  an  under 


Fugitives  Crossing  the  Blue  Ridge. 


Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents.  613 

coating  of  ice ;  now  whore  the  ascent  was  almost  impossible,  now 
down  a  slope  quite  precipitous.  At  last  they  were  cheered  hy  the 
welcome  intelligence  that  they  were  beyond  the  North  Carolina 
line,  that  it  was  now  safe  for  them  to  travel  by  daylight,  and  that 
their  informant  would  himself  conduct  them  to  the  house  of  a 
relative,  on  the  banks  of  the  Watauga.  But  perhaps  the  most  en 
couragement  was  derived  from  the  sight  of  several  Federal  sol 
diers  who  were  at  home  on  furlough,  and  who  gave  them  valua 
ble  information  as  to  the  position  of  the  troops. 

"  They  say  Dan  Ellis  is  about  to  start  out  with  a  party;  if  you 
can  strike  him  you're  sure  of  getting  through  safe." 

Such  was  the  opinion  universally  expressed;  and  whatever 
may  be  the  liability  of  popular  opinion  to  error,  a  prophet  who 
is  honored  in  his  own  country  must  be  indeed  a  great  man. 
"  Dan  Ellis  "  bore  so  wide  a  reputation  during  the  "War  that  we 
cannot  pass  him  by  with  a  bare  mention. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  write,  he  was  in  the  prime  of  life, 
and  gifted  with  the  keen  senses,  the  temperate  habits  and  the 
powers  of  endurance  which  we  are  accustomed  to  associate  with 
the  idea  of  a  mountaineer.  When  the  War  broke  out,  a  number 
of  the  Union  men  of  this  section  met  for  the  purpose  of  forming 
a  military  organization,  similar  to  the  "  Home  Guards,"  com 
posed  of  Southern  men.  Dispersing  to  their  homes,  after  pre 
liminaries  had  been  arranged,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
horses,  most  of  them  were  captured  by  the  Confederates,  Ellis 
among  the  number.  He  escaped  by  sheer  fleetness  of  foot,  and 
for  some  time  formed  one  of  a  party  that  had  encamped  in  a 
dense  laurel  thicket.  From  time  to  time  he  revisited  his  home, 
secretly,  of  course;  for  he  was  not  safe  if  his  Secession  neigh 
bors  knew  of  his  presence. 

While  on  one  of  these  stolen  visits,  in  August,  1862,  he  learn 
ed  that  an  acquaintance  was  to  conduct  a  party  of  escaped  pris 
oners  across  the  mountains  and  into  tn*e  Union  lines,  and  he  re 
solved  to  be  one  of  the  company.  Returning  to  his  home  in 
Carter  County,  he  was  urged  to  pilot  another  party  over  the 
same  route,  and  consented  to  do  so.  From  that  time  onward, 
he  made  it  the  business  of  his  life.  More  than  five  thousand 
refugees  owed  it  to  him  that  they  reached  the  Federal  lines  in 
safety  j  and  of  all  who  tried  to  make  the  trip  under  his  guidance, 
only  one  man  was  lost.  The  Confederate  G-overnment  offered  a 
reward  of  $1,000  for  his  capture;  he  was  hunted  resolutely  by 


614 


Capture  and  flight  of  the  Correspondents. 


men  who  knew  him  well,  who  knew  equally  well  every  foot  of 
the  ground  in  that  portion  of  the  state;  and  yet  he  lived  to  or 
ganize  and  lead  a  company  of  cavalry  in  the  volunteer  army, 
to  see  the  end  of  the  War,  to  receive  the  thanks  of  Congress 
and  a  reward  of  $3,000  for  his  services,  to  shake  hands  amicably 
with  the  Confederate  officer  who  had  oftenest  led  the  chase 
when  the  "Ked  Fox,"  as  they  dubbed  him,  was  the  prey — a  fit 
ting  end  to  the  war  record  of  both.  And  let  it  be  remembered, 
that  although  Capt.  Ellis  was  the  first  to  offer  his  hand,  Col. 
Symonds  is  his  historian  and  panegyrist. 

Such  was  the  man  to  whom 
they  looked  for  safety;  and  as  his 
rendezvous  was  known  to  their 
friends,  they  set  out  on  the  night 
of  January  8th,  to  that  place. 
Here  they  found  fifteen  or  twen 
ty  more  who  were,  like  them 
selves, waiting  for  the  main  party. 
Two  hours  passed  away,  and  the 
body  of  fifty  men  came  in  sight — 
deserters  from  the  Southern  army, 
conscripts  who  would  not  serve, 
citizens  whose  sympathies  were 
with  the  North,  Union  soldiers 
who  had  visited  their  homes  on 
furlough  and  wished  to  rejoin 

their  regiments.  To  this  miscellaneous  company,  our  little  group 
of  friends  added  the  one  element  that  was  lacking — escaped 
prisoners. 

Most  of  the  party  were  well  mounted,  but  the  guide  was  on 
foot;  and  although  they  went  at  a  round  pace,  he  kept  up  with 
out  any  appearance  of  exertion.  With  his  rifle,  repeating  six 
teen  times,  in  his  hand,  he  walked  along  easily  by  Mr.  Kichard- 
son,  to  whom  he  had  loaned  his  own  mule,  answering  the  ques 
tions  of  the  latter  about  his  own  life.  But  much  ground  must  be 
got  over  before  dawn;  twenty-seven  miles  were  really  accom 
plished;  and  in  crossing  the  Nolechucky,  several  of  the  party 
and  most  of  the  mules  that  carried  the  rations  had  been  lost. 
The  men  were  found,  but  the  food  was  not.  This  was  a  serious 
loss,  as  it  might  be  impossible  for  them  to  stop  on  the  way  at 
any  place  where  they  could  replenish  their  stores;  but  these 


Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents.  615 

forebodings  proved  to  be  without  foundation,  for  they  scented 
no  immediate  danger  until  after  this  loss  had  been  repaired. 

But  danger  threatened.  Hardly  had  the  difficult  march  across 
the  mountains  been  accomplished  when  the  rumor  was  heard, 
growing  into  sure  intelligence,  that  squads  of  Confederate  cav 
alry  were  scouring  the  country  in  search  of  them.  Encamped 
for  the  Alight  on  January  10th,  Ellis  received  information  that 
they  were  almost  surrounded  by  the  enemy.  This  made  it  nec 
essary  to  insure  the  safety  of  a  portion  of  the  party  at  least,  and 
those  who  were  mounted  were  ordered  to  proceed  immediately, 
and  those  who  were  on  foot  to  follow  at  a  safe  distance.  Of  the 
former,  Mr.  Richardson  was  one,  while  Mr.  Browne  made  one 
of  the  infantry. 

The  cavalry  was  not,  as  may  bep  supposed,  the  less  threaten 
ed  of  the  two;  unable  to  take  the  mountain  roads  which  the  en 
emy  would  find  impassable  for  horses,  they  were,  by  the  greater 
noise  made  in  traveling  and  the  more  distinct  traces,  more  eas 
ily  followed.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  heroism  of  a  woman,  a  pret 
ty  girl  of  seventeen,  who  guided  them  through  the  rain  and 
darkness,  along  a  devious  route  which  was  not  in  possession  of 
the  Confederates,  it  is  probable  that  neither  party  would  have 
reached  the  lines. 

The  march  had  been  an  extremely  rapid  one,  and  under  the 
new  pressure  of  danger,  many  who  were  physically  worn  out, 
as  well  as  suffering  from  nervous  prostration  from  the  effects  of 
such  exertions  accompanied  by  so  much  anxiety  and  so  many 
hardships,  utterly  broke  down  in  strength  or  resolution,  and 
turned  back  to  the  country  they  had  desired  to  leave.  Among 
these  we  may  be  sure  that  the  escaped  prisoners  had  no  place. 
They  could  endure  anything  rather  than  return  to  Salisbury, 
and,  though  their  clothes  were  in  tatters,  their  boots  almost 
falling  from  their  feet,  their  bodies  enfeebled  by  disease,  their 
hearts  sick  with  hope  deferred,  they  pressed  resolutely  on  until 
they  saw  the  glare  of  the  Union  picket-fires  reddening  the  hor 
izon. 

"Halt !  Who  goes  there?"  was  the  challenge  of  the  senti 
nel  on  the  night  of  January  13th. 

"Friends  without  the  countersign — escaped  from  Salisbury/' 

Their  welcome  need  not  here  be  set  down;  their  story  spread, 
and  gathered  details  as  it  went,  until  they  scarcely  would  have 
/recognized  it  themselves;  but  this  narrative  has  been  chiefly 


616  Capture  and  Flight  of  the  Correspondents. 

drawn  from  sources  which  ought  to  be  the  fountain  head.  Much 
have  we  been  compelled  to  omit;  we  could  give  but  the  bare 
skeleton  of  a  history  fascinating  as  a  romance  to  the  lover  of 
adventure. 


THE  INSANITY  DODGE. 

Necessary  Precautions — Have   You   Seen  a  Horse — A  Second  Meeting — A  "Well 
Played  Part — An  Unsuccessful  Search — Delivery  of  Dispatches. 

WHEJS"  the  Twenty-sixth  Indiana  was  stationed  at  Sedalia, 
Missouri,  it  became  necessary  to  send  dispatches  to  In 
dependence,  some  ninety  miles  distant,  near  the  western  bound 
ary  of  the  state.  Two  privates,  Marshall  Storey  and  William 
Waters,  were  selected  for  the  important  duty.  Their  errand 
was  by  no  means  devoid  of  danger;  for  although  the  regular 
Confederate  troops  had  been  for  sometime  withdrawn  from  that 
portion  of  the  state,  there  were,bands  of  soldiery,  called  by  their 
enemies  guerillas,  and  by  themselves  partisans,  who,  not  strong 
enough  to  attack  any  considerable  force,  yet  caused  consider 
able  annoyance  to  the  Federals  by  cutting  off  such  parties  as 
this  one. 

In  order  to  avoid  such  interference  with  their  errand,  the  two 
soldiers  had  laid  aside  their  uniforms,  and  assumed  citizen's 
clothing.  Their  dispatches  were  carefully  hidden  inside  the 
linings  of  their  hats,  and  in  the  soles  of  their  boots  ;  the  sole  lin 
ing  being  carefully  pasted  down  over  the  flat  paper.  Their 
horses  were  provided  with  saddles  as  unlike  that  furnished  by 
the  government  as  could  be  procured.  Thus  accoutered,  they 
set  out  on  their  ride,  looking  for  all  the  world  like  two  well-to- 
do  young  farmers,  bound  on  some  distant  errand. 

They  had  traveled  nearly  seventy  miles  in  a  time  that,  to  the 
dweller  in  the  mountainous  regions,  would  seem  incredibly 

short;  but 

"  The  prairie  stretched  as  smooth  as  a  floor 
As  far  as  the  eve  could  see ;" 

617 


618  The  Insanity  Dodge. 

there  was  nothing  to  impede  their  progress  over  that  Iev9l 
and  seemingly  limitless  plain.  Indeed,  it  was  a  little  easier  than 
they  could  wish  for,  for  they  could  be  seen  from  a  great  distance, 
and  discovery  might  lead  to  attack.  However,  they  calmed  all 
such  vain  imaginings,  and  rode  on.  At  last,  some  twenty  miles 
from  Independence,  they  entered  a  grove  which  bordered  the 
stream.  The  underbrush  was  so  thick  that  they  could  hardly 
force  their  way  through  it,  along  the  bridle-path,  which,  appa 
rently,  was  but  little  used.  As  they  pushed  their  way  through, 
they  were  suddenly  confronted  by  five  of  the  enemy,  each  arm 
ed  with  a  shot-gun. 

"What's  your  business  here?"  demanded  one  who  appeared 
to  be  the  leader  of  the  squad. 

""We're  out  looking  for  a  horse  that  was  carried  off  by  the 
Home  Guards,  sir.  We  heard  that  it  had  been  brought  along 
through  this  part  of  the  country." 

"  Where  do  you  live  ?" 

"Six  miles  north  of  Boonville." 

"Who  are  you  for?"  was  the  next  demand;  meaning,  in  the 
parlance  of  the  time,  "What  are  your  political  sentiments  ?" 

"Well,  sir/'  was  the  deliberate  answer,  "  I  don't  know  that 
you'll  find  anybody  that's  stronger  Secesh  than  I  am,  and  my 
friend  here  is  ofpy  way  of  thinking." 

There  was  a  short  consultation  among  the  partisans,  a  strict 
watch  being  meanwhile  kept  upon  the  two  "farmers."  Then 
the  result  of  this  council  of  war  was  communicated  briefly  to  the 
latter;  they  might  be  good  "  Secesh,"  but  then  again  they  might 
not;  and  their  captors  thought  it  best  to  search  them.  .Resist 
ance  was  of  course  worse  than  useless,  and  the  two  messengers 
quietly  submitted  to  the  search  ;  though  protesting  their  strong 
Southern  sympathies,  their  services  already  rendered  to  the 
Confederacy,  and  their  intention  to  join  Price  as  soon  as  it  would 
be  possible  to  get  to  him.  All  the  time,  they  devoutly  hoped 
that  no  evil  genius  would  prompt  the  Kebs  to  explore  the  in 
most  recesses  of  hats  and  boots.  At  last,  however,  the  search 
was  concluded,  and  the  dispatches  were  not  found;  their  place 
of  hiding  had  not  even  been  suspected. 

"Sorry    to  have  searched  you,  gentlemen,"  apologized   the 

leaders,  "but  the  d d  Yankees  are  up  to  so  many  tricks  that 

we  can  never  tell  when  to  believe  what  a  man  says/' 

The  messengers  gravely  acknowledged  the  apology,  and  the 


The  Insanity  Dodge.  619 

two  parties  separated.  The  Federals  began  to  congratulate 
themselves  upon  their  lucky  escape,  with  the  loss  of  nothing 
more  valuable  than  a  number  of  fish-hooks,  which  one  of  them 
had  chanced  to  have  in  his  pocket,  and  which  the  Butternuts 
had  appropriated;  they  would  probably  reach  Independence 
unmolested,  they  said  one  to  the  other;  for  they  had  already 
come  five  miles  from  the  scene  of  the  encounter  with  the  gueril 
las,  and  had  but  fifteen  more  to  go.  But  even  while  they  were 
thus  congratulating  themselves,  a  new  danger  was  approaching. 
Crossing  a  neck  of  woods,  they  had  just  emerged  upon  the  open 
prairie  again  when  they  saw  seven  horsemen  riding  toward 
them,  and  heard  the  command  to  halt.  The  new  comers  were  but 
fifty  yards  away. 

"Fll  play  crazy,"  whispered  Storey,  hurriedly,  to  his  compan 
ion;  and  you  can  be  my  brother  taking  me  home  from  St. 
Louis." 

Drawing  one  eye  down  in  a  manner  peculiar  to  himself,  his 
face  assumed  a  comical  expression  ;  the  saliva  was  allowed  to 
flow  down  upon  his  dusty  beard,  while  the  ragged  locks  of  hair 
that  strayed  down  nearly  into  his  eyes  completed  the  picture. 
As  they  came  nearer,  he  leaped  from  his  horse  and  ran  toward 
them. 

"Don't  mind  him, "called  Waters,  as  some  of  the  Butternuts 
drew  their  pistols;  "he's  crazy  as  a  loon." 

Storey  bore  out  this  description  by  his  behavior;  with  the  pe 
culiarly  gentle,  pitiful  smile  of  a  half-witted  person,  he  caressed 
their  horses,  fingered  their  weapons  admiringly,  and  seemed  to 
endeavor,  in  many  ways,  to  win  their  good  graces.  The  men 
looked  on  him  with  a  sort  of  good-natured  content;  he  was  too 
evidently  the  genuine  article  for  them  to  entertain  any  suspi 
cions  regarding  him,  at  least.  On  his  companion,  however,  they 
looked  with  less  confidence. 

"Where  did  you  come  from,  and  where  are  you  going?"  de 
manded  the  leader. 

"I've  come  from  St.  Louis  just  now,  with  my  brother,  here," 
replied  Waters;  "he's  been  in  the  Insane  Asylum  there,  but  there 
wasn't  any  use  of  keeping  him  shut  up,  and  we  hated  to  have 
him  so  far  away  in  war  times.  There's  no  telling  what  may  hap 
pen." 

Storey  had  been  busily  caressing  a  beautiful  black  pony,  rid 
den  by  one  of  the  Eebs.  He  appeared  to  understand  dimly  that 


620 


The  Insanity  Dodge 


he  was  the  subject  of  which  his  brother  was  speaking,  and  look 
ed  around  upon  all  present  with  a  vacant  smile  on  his   face. 
"Where  do  you  live?" 

"In  Jackson  county,  just  this  side  of  the  Kansas  border." 
But  the  more   serious  part  of  the  proceedings  was  here   stop 
ped,  to  witness  Storey's  performances ;  after  much  petting  of 
the  pony,  he  suddenly   left  it   and  went  up  to  his  own  poor 
old  horse.     The  animal,  almost  broken   down,  was  gravely   led 


The  Insane  Dodge. 

up  to  the  rider  of  the  pony,  whom  the  "crazy  man"  invited  to 
exchange.  The  whole  proceeding  was  watched  with  much  in 
terest  on  the  part  of  the  other  six. 

"  D d  if  I  trade  horses  with  you,"  exclaimed  the  rider  of 

the  pony. 

"  Just  see  what  he'll  do,"  said  the  captain  to  the  other.  The 
man  somewhat  reluctantly  dismounted,  and  Storey,  with  many 
broken  exclamations  of  delight,  mounted  the  pony  and  was  about 
to  ride  off.  But  the  Butternut  was  not  at  all  willing  that  the 
'fun  should  go  any  farther  at  his  expense,  and  running  after 
Storey,  pulled  him  roughly  from  the  saddle.  The  better  to  act 
out  his  assumed  character,  the  Federal  turned  furiously  upon 
the  other,  and  was  about  to  fight  him.  The  Confederate  retreat- 


The  Insanity  Dodge.  621 

ed  at  a  somewhat  rapid  pace  to  his  comrades,  After  him  went 
the  pretended  simple  follow,  who  grasped  a  stick  as  he  ran,  and 
the  owner  of  the  pony  came  dangerously  near  being  belabored. 

In  the  meantime,  the  sport  had  palled  somewhat,  and  they  had 
turned  to  more  serious  business.  Waters  was  subjected  to  what 
they  called  a  thorough  search,  but  which  was  not  so  thorough  as 
they  supposed,  as  the  dispatches  wholly  escaped  their  observa 
tion.  Of  course  it  was  useless  to  search  a  man  just  released  from 
the  Insane  Asylum,  and  who  appeared  not  to  have  sense  enough 
to  be  intrusted  with  any  secret  or  anything  of  importance. 
Having  made  sure  that  there  was  nothing  contraband  about  Wa 
ters,  they  turned  to  watch,  with  an  appreciative  eye,  the  contest 
which  Storey  was  still  waging  for  the  possession  of  the  coveted 
pony ;  urging  him  on  to  fight  very  much  as  they  might  have  in 
cited  a  game-cock  or  a  bull-dog. 

"  Don't  provoke  him,  please/'  pleaded  the  brother;  "  it  only 
makes  him  worse;  and  he  may  get  so  furious  there'll  be  no  do 
ing  anything  with  him.  Come,  Billy,  get  on  your  horse  andlet's 
go  home.  This  is  your  horse,  you  know." 

But  Billy  would  not,  and  it  was  only  by  the  assistance  of  one 
of  the  Butternuts  that  his  brother  was  able  to  get  him  away  from 
the  pony,  and  on  his  own  steed.  The  Confederates  left  them  to 
take  their  way  onward,  and  rode  oif  in  an  easterly  direction; 
frequently  looking  back  to  see  if  the  "crazy  fellow"  had  any  no 
tion  of  coming  after  the  pony  to  which  he  had  taken  such  a  fan 
cy.  But  with  the  fickleness  of  his  kind,  he  seemed  to  have  been 
•pacified  by  some  of  the  glowing  promises  of  which  his  brother 
iaad,  even  in  their  presence,  been  lavish  ;  at  any  rate,  he  seemed 
to  have  given  up  the  idea  of  gettingthe  animal.  Had  they  known 
that  when  once  the  two  were  fairly  out  of  sight,  he  would  brush 
his  hair  from  his  forehead,  and  in  all  other  ways  lay  aside  his 
insanity,  and  gallop  oif  at  full  speed,  they  might  have  been  even 
more  sure.  But  of  course,  they  had  no  means  of  knowing  this  and 
the  two  messengers  reached^  Independence  in  safety. 


CHAPTER 


WHEELER'S  CAVALRY  ESCAPADES. 

Stage  of  the  War — Gen.  "Wheeler's  Determination — A  Companion — Swimming  thy 
Peedee — An  Uninvited  Comrade — An  Earnest  Appeal — A  Borrowed  Name — 
"  Sam.  Johnson" — A  Hearty  Welcome — Sam's  Bashfulness — A  Sudden  Alarm — 
Unfounded  Anxiety — "  Scare  'em  out  of  their  Boots" — Signs  of  the  Enemy — 
The  Bugler — Retreat  of  the  Enemy — Incidents  of  the  Pursuit — Advance  of  Gen. 
Hampton. 

THE  War  was  nearly  at  an  end,  though  few  men  had  the  wis 
dom  to  see  it;  Southerners  fought  on  with  a  dogged  cour 
age  that  would  not  acknowledge  defeat,  while  the  Northerners 
had  so  often  had  their  hopes  raised  by  false  prophets  that  they 
would  believe  nothing  until  it  was  proven.  Perhaps  the  only 
man  who  fully  foresaw  the  end  was  the  one  whose  name  has 
come  to  be  a  synonym  for  silence  which  occasionally  is  broken 
by  brief  but  significant  speeches  ;  we  say  perhaps,  for  it  may  be 
that  the  great  general  who  was  to  be  conquered  saw  it  as  clear 
ly  as  the  great  general  who  was  to  be  victor  in  the  struggle. 

But  though  they  might  not  be  able  to  predict  the  end  exactly, 
there  was  not  a  man  in  the  Confederate  army  who  did  not  look 
forward  with  anxiety;  knowing,  as  each  one  did,  the  extreme 
poverty  of  the  South  in  men  and  in  all  kinds  of  supplies.  Sher 
man  had  captured  Atlanta  after  its  long  siege,  and  had  made  his 
famous  "March  to  the  Sea;"  Fort  McAlister  had  fallen,  and  the 
city  which  it  defended,  Savannah,  was  in  his  victorious  hands. 
Matters  had  a  serious  look  to  the  Confederates,  then,  when,  one 
day  in  February,  1865,  G-en.  Wheeler  and  G-en.  Hampton  sat  on 
their  horses  some  little  distance  from  their  escorts,  and  discuss 
ed  their  plans  for  the  future.  The  two  generals  had  massed 
their  forces  near  Arnold's  Mill,  on  the  bank  of  the  Peedee ;  and 
622 


Wheeler's  Cavalry  Escapades.  623 

before  any  further  move,  advance  or  retrograde,  could  be  made 
with  safety,  a  careful  reconnoissance  was  necessary.  They 
talked  with  great  earnestness,  and  for  some  time;  at  last,  it 
seemed  as  if  one  were  urging  some  plan  which  the  other  did  not 
think  prudent.  Many  minutes  passed  in  argument,  and  at  last 
G-en.  Hampton  assented  to  what  Gen.  Wheeler  proposed.  Thus 
ending  the  conference,  the  two  generals  rode  towards  their 
forces  again,  and  Gen.  "Wheeler  sent  for  Col.  Anderson,  of  the 
Fourth  Tennessee  Cavalry. 

"Colonel,  I  want  one  of  your  best 
men  to  go  across  the  river  with  me 
on  a  little  scout." 

"Yery  well,  sir,"  replied  the 
subordinate;  and  turning,  he  beck 
oned  to  his  orderly,  whom  he  di 
rected  to  send  James  B.  Nance,  the 
bugler  of  the  regiment,  to  him. 
The  soldier  soon  made  his  appear 
ance,  and,  saluting,  stood  waiting 

to  hear  the  duty  to  which  he  was 

Gen.  Wade  Hampton. 

to  be  assigned. 

"Nance,  Gen.  Wheeler  wants  a  trusty  man  to  cross  the  river 
with  him  ;  will  you  go?" 

"I  am  ready  for  any  orders,  sir,"  was  the  reply. 

"Wait  here  a  moment,  then,"  directed  the  general,  "until  I 
have  put  on  a  private's  coat.  Gen.  Hampton  insists  very  strong 
ly  upon  it,  and  I  suppose  he  is  right." 

Nance  simply  handed  his  bugle  to  a  comrade  and  was  ready; 
Gen.  Wheeler  was  not  much  longer  in  making  his  preparations, 
and  they  mounted  and  set  out.  The  river  was  swollen  by  the 
copious  winter  rains,  and  the  current  was  swift  and  strong;  but 
they  plunged  boldly  in.  Two  hundred  yards  from  the  shore 
was  an  island,  and  to  this  they  directed  their  course,  in  order 
that  their  horses  might  have  as  much  rest  as  possible.  Mean 
while,  in  some  inexplicable  way,  the  purpose  of  their  expedi 
tion  had  become  generally  known  in  the  army,  and  as  they 
swam  through  the  deep  water,  their  progress  was  intently  watch 
ed  by  thousands  of  eager  eyes ;  they  gained  the  island,  their 
horses  struggled  to  land,  and  cheer  after  cheer  was  heard  from 
the  shore. 

"I  can't   stand  it  any  longer,"  exclaimed  one  soldier,  whose 


624  Wheeler's  Cavalry  Escapades. 

name  has  not  come  down  to  us;  "discipline  or  no  discipline,  I 
am  going  to  make  one  of  them." 

And  he  spurred  his  horse  into  the  stream,  determined  to  join 
the  scouts.  His  determination  was  not  seen  by  the  latter  as 
they  rested  a  few  moments  on  the  island  ;  and  regardless  of  the 
reinforcement  that  was  coming  up,  they  again  plunged  into  the 
water,  steering  towards  a  second  island,  two  or  three  hundred 
yards  further  on.  But  they  were  now  in  the  very  channel  of 
the  stream,  where  the  water  was  the  deepest,  and  the  current 
swiftest  and  strongest.  So  irresistible  was  it,  that  Nance  was 
swept  from  the  saddle,  and  could  only  save  himself  from  drown 
ing  by  catching  hold  of  his  horse's  tail.  The  animal,  nothing 
disturbed  by  this  unusual  mode  of  guidance,  swam  as  straight 
for  the  island  as  if  his  rider  had  still  held  the  reins.  He  scram 
bled  upon  the  shore,  and  pulled  his  rider  once  more'to  dry  land, 

As  they  paused  here  for  a  brief  breathing  spell,  they  saw,  foj 
the  first  time,  the  soldier  who  was  so  resolved  to  join  them,  an4 
halted  longer  than  they  intended  in  order  to  allow  him  to  com<. 
up  with  them.  His  horse  "breasted  the  current  like  a  tug/* 
says  Mr.  Nance,  from  whose  account  our  facts  are  chiefly  de 
rived,  and  it  was  not  long  before  he  had  overtaken  the  two  whom 
he  wished  to  join. 

"I  couldn't  help  it,  General,  I  had  to  come.  Of  course,  if  you 
say  so,  I'll  go  back,  but  I  do  want  to  go  with  you,  sir." 

The  officer  smiled  at  the  earnestness  of  the  appeal  as  he  an 
swered  : 

"  Oh,  no,  I  wouldn't  have  you  go  back  for  the  world;  come 
right  on,  and  we'll  make  the  scout  with  three  instead  of  two." 

"  I   know  two  are  company" —  began  the  new  comer  again. 

"But  three  don't  make  a  crowd.  Is  your  horse  rested?  If  it 
is,  we'll  make  for  the  third  island  over  there." 

"Oh,  he's  all  right;  ready  for  anything,  General,"  answered 
the  trooper,  patting  the  horse's  neck  affectionately. 

"  I  don't  know  ;  he  looks  tired,"  said  Nance ;  "anyhow,  Gener 
al,  I  wish,  before  we  go  in  again,  you  would  tell  us  what  to  do  in 
case  of  capture." 

"Get  away  again,  I  reckon,  would  be  the  best  thing  under 
such  circumstances.  That's  general,  however;  what  was  it  par 
ticularly  that  you  wanted  to  know?" 

"  In  case  we  were  to  be  captured,  if  they  knew  you  to  be  Gen. 
"Wheeler,  they'd  watch  PS  so  close  we  wouldn't  have  any  chance 


Wheeler's  Cavalry  Escapades. 


to  get  away.     You've  put  on  a  private's  coat  so  as  not  to  attract 
their  attention  ;  why  not  assume  another  name  ?" 

"  That's  well  thought  of,  3STance ;  can  you  suggest  a  good 
name?  One  that  would  not  sound  as  if  it  were  assumed." 

"  Well,  I  suppose  a  real  name  would  sound  the  most  real.  Sam 
Johnson's  a  good  fellow;  suppose  you  borrow  his." 

"All  right.  Sam  Johnson — that  certainly  sounds  like  the  real 
thing.  I  suppose  he  would  have  no  objections  to  lending  his 
name." 

"  I  know  he  wouldn't, 
General,  when  you  want  to 
borrow." 

"  All  right,  then,  Sam 
Johnson  I'll  be  for  the 
present.  Now,  we'd  better 
go  on  to  the  third  island." 
As  he  rode  into  the  water 
the  other  two  followed 
closely  behind  him.  The 
third  island  was  reached, 
and  after  another  short 
halt,  they  started  upon  the 
home  stretch,  and  finally 
stood  upon  the  farther 
shore  of  the  Peedee. 
Plunging  into  the  deep  woods  which  here  skirted  the  stream, 
they  went  on  for  some  distance  before  reaching  the  road  ;  but 
fortunately  had  not  far  to  go  before  coming  to  a  house. 

"Ill  stand  picket  in  the  road,  boys,"  said  Gen.  Wheeler, 
"  while  you  go  to  the  house  and  get  some  dry  clothes  ;  and  then 
you  can  do  the  same  for  me." 

"  O,  no,  General,  you  must  go  first,  and  then  we  can  go." 
But  to  this  the  officer  would  not  listen,  and  the  men  were  fin 
ally  obliged  to  consent  to  his  plans.  No  difficulty  was  experi- 
ienced,  as  the  people  living  in  the  house  were  strong  Secession 
ists  ;  the  three  scouts  were  accorded  as  hearty  a  welcome  as 
could  have  been  given  to  Gen.  Wheeler  or  any  other  officer  in 
propria  persona,  and  they  were  regaled  with  an  excellent  supper. 
After  leaving  the  table,  the  young  ladies,  of  whom  there  were 
several  in  the  house  (as  often  happened  in  those  days,  there  were 
none  but  ladies  and  children  at  home)  urged  the  guests  to  sing— 


Gen.  Joseph   Wheeler. 


626  Wheeler's  Cavalry  Escapades. 

anything  so  it  was  Southern,  for  they  were  ardent  Rebels.  With 
characteristic  gallantry,  the  soldiers  urged  the  ladies  to  sing 
first,  and  several  ballads  of  the  time  were  given  by  them  in  fine 
style — from  "Dixie"  to  the  "Homespun  Dress." 

"Now  you  must  sing,"  the  ladies  urged;  "we've  done  our 
part,  and  you  promised,  you  know." 

Accordingly,  Nance  sat  down  to  the  piano,  and  thrumming 
an  accompaniment,  gave  them  the  song,  especially  popular  with 
this  command,  and  called  "Wheeler's  Cavalry." 

"  O,  that's  splendid,"  they  exclaimed,  with  one  voice;  "now 
won't  you  please  sing  us  another  ?" 

"Well,  the  fact  is,  ladies,  I  only  sang  to  redeem  my  promise. 
I  was  almost  ashamed  to  utter  a  note  in  the  presence  of  the  best 
singer  in  the  army." 

"  The  best  singer  in  the  army  !"  they  cried  excitedly  ;  "which 
is  it?" 

"My  friend,  Mr.  Johnson,  has  that  reputation.  Come,  Sam, 
don't  be  so  modest.  You  know  you  are  called  so,  and  there's 
reason  for  the  name." 

But  "  Sam  Johnson  "  blushed  like  a  girl,  and  earnestly  denied 
the  soft  impeachment;  the  ladies  of  course  set  all  his  denials 
down  to  the  account  of  modesty,  or  rather,  bashfulness,  and  only 
urged  him  the  more;  while  Nance  now  and  then  threw  in  a  few 
words  that  encouraged  them  the  more.  For  some  time  this  went 
on,  the  two  soldiers  greatly  enjoying  the  fun  ;  until  Nance,  seeing 
that  it  had  gone  far  enough,  turned  to  the  piano  with  a  sigh  : 

"I'm  sorry  he  won't  sing,  ladies,  but  he  always  is  bashful 
about  it.  If  you'll  accept  of  a  very  poor  substitute,  I'll  do  the 
best  in  my  power." 

The  ladies  hastened  to  assure  him  that  while  they  would  like 
very  much  to  hear  the  best  singer  in  the  army,  they  did  not  con 
sider  him  a  bad  substitute.  Thus  reassured,  he  began  the  "Bon 
nie  Blue  Flag"  ;  but  suddenly  stopped,  as,  in  the  pauses  of  the 
music,  his  quick  ear  caught  the  sounds  of  horses'  feet.  His  two 
companions  heard  it  at  the  same  moment,  and  hastily  putting  an 
end  to  the  music  and  conversation,  they  sprang  to  the  door. 
Listening  attentively  fora  few  minutes,  in  order  to  ascertain  in 
what  direction  the  horsemen  were  going,  and  finding  that  they 
seemed  to  be  approaching  the  house,  Nance  said,  hurriedly: 

"Stay  here,  Sam,  and  I'll  go  down  to  the  road  and  hail  them, 
I'll  talk  loud  enough  for  you  to  hear,  and  if  they're  Yanks, 


Wheeler's  Cavalry  Escapades.  627 

you'll  soon  know  it.     Be  ready  for  action,  whoever  they  are/' 

"  Without  waiting  for  a  reply,  he  bounded  down  the  steps 
and  to  the  fence  which  separated  the  garden  from  the  road." 

"  Hallo  !  What  command  is  that?"  he  called,  as  they  rode  up. 

"Wheeler's  Scouts/'  was  the  reply. 

"  Who  is  in  command  ?" 

"  Captain  Shannon/'  answered  that  officer,  whom  Nance  at, 
once  recognized. 


"The  best  singer  in  the  army" 

"Ride  up  a  little  nearer  the  fence,  won't  you,  Captain  ?" 
"Is  it  Mr.  Nance  of  the  Fourth  Tennessee  Cavalry?" 
"Yes,  sir;  are  you  on  urgent  business  to-night?" 
"  Yes ;  you  see,  G-en.  Wheeler  came  over  to  this  side  of  the  riv 
er  on  a  scout  to-day,  and  as  he  had  no  escort,  Gen.  Hampton  be 
came  anxious  as  to  his  safety  and  dispatched  me  with  eight 
men  to  ascertain  his  whereabouts." 

"  Well,  there's  no  need  for  Gen.  Hampton's  anxiety;  for  our 
general  is  in  the  house  here." 

"  In  the  house  ?     You  don't  say  so  !"    And  in  an  instant  every 
one  of  the  scouts  was  off  his  horse  and  making  a  bee-line  for 
the  house-door.     As  they  entered,  and  saw  that  their  command- 
40 


628  Wheeler's  Cavalry  Escapades. 

er,  of  whose  safety  they  had  entertained  such  doubts,  was 
really  before  them,  military  discipline  and  etiquette  were  thrown 
to  the  four  winds  of  heaven. 

"  Glad  to  see  you,  General  I" 

"How  are  you,  General ?" 

"  'Bah  for  the  General !" 

Meanwhile  the  ladies  stared  in  wonder,  to  hear  that  the  "bash 
ful  Mr.  Johnson  "  was  a  real  live  general ;  and  their  wonder  was 
only  increased  by  learning  that  it  was  the  dashing  cavalry  offi 
cer  with  whose  name  they  were  so  familiar.  The  scouts,  thus  in 
creased  in  number  to  twelve,  were  hospitably  entertained  for  the 
night,  and  bidden  God-speed  on  their  departure  in  the  morning. 
One  of  the  new  comers  was  provided  with  a  bugle,  which,  at  Gen. 
Wheeler's  desire,  he  gave  up  to  the  bugler  of  the  Fourth  Tennes 
see. 

"  Take  it,  Nance,  and  when  we  come  upon  the  enemy  sound  it 
long  and  loud,  so  as  to  scare  'em  out  of  their  boots  with  the 
noise. " 

"All  right,  sir ;  I'll  do  my  best  with  it." 

Gen.  Wheeler  and  Captain  Shannon  rode  in  front,  a  few  paces 
before  the  main  body  of  the  little  force.  Orders  had  been  given 
that,  as  soon  as  they  came  in  sight  of  the  enemy,  the  scouts  were 
to  charge  and  rout  them — the  latter  part  of  the  order  being 
given  with  as  much  earnestness  as  the  former,  as  if  the  routing 
were  a  matter  entirely  under  the  control  of  the  assaulting  party. 
They  rode  on  for  about  five  miles  without  seeing  any  sign  of 
the  enemy's  presence  save  the  devastation  of  the  country  which 
always  accompanies  war.  The  scouts,  indeed,  were  beginning  to 
be  impatient,  for  they  had  expected  to  get  a  sight  of  the  blue- 
coats  before  that.  At  last,  however,  the  general  halted  as  he 
came  to  a  point  where  the  road  forked,  and  turning  in  his  saddle, 
beckoned  to  his  men.  With  joyful  haste  they  put  spurs  to  their 
horses  and  rode  forward. 

The  sight  which  they  saw  was  one  to  strike  terror  even  to  a 
brave  heart.  Drawn  up  in  line  of  battle  in  the  road  before  them, 
was  a  force  of  Yankees  far  outnumbering  their  own  little  party — 
the  dark  blue  of  the  blouses  lightened  by  the  gleam  of  the  guns. 
But  even  if  they  had  been  disposed  to  draw  back,  their  leader 
left  them  no  alternative.  He  signaled  to  Nance  to  sound  the 
charge;  the  notes  of  the  bugle  rung  out,  sharp  and  clear,  upon 
the  wintry  morning;  the  Federals  had  no  intimation  that  an  en- 


Wheeler1  s  Cavalry  Escapades, 


P29 


emy  was  near,  and  when  the  handful  of  scouts  charged  upon  them, 
they  were  taken  entirely  by  surprise.  The  Confederates,  bent 
upon  making  their  numbers  seem  as  great  as  possible,  rode  on 
ward  with  the  true  Bebel  yell,  repeated  as  many  times  as  human 
lungs  would  allow.  The  Federal  officers,  rapidly  comprehend 
ing  the  fact  that  they  were  beset  by  the  enemy  in  unknown 
strength,  gave  the  order  to  fire;  but  though  the  men  were  armed 
with  seven-shooting  carbines,  the  bullets  flew  over  the  heads  of 
the  rapidly  advancing  cavalry.  Onward,  onward,  came  the 


Following  the  Bugle. 

Bebs,  and  at  the  shock  of  the  onset  the  blue  line  wavered,  broke, 
and  was  soon  in  full  retreat. 

"Blow  like  the  devil,  Nance!"  shouted  the  Confederate  officer, 
above  the  din  of  the  charge.  And  as  he  sounded  the  charge  again 
and  again,  the  Yanks,  fully  convinced  that  their  assailants  far 
outnumbered  them,  moved  onward  all  the  faster  to  some  haven 
of  safety.  So  the  chase  went  on,  until  the  Southerners  found 
themselves  in  a  slight  hollow,  whence  they  could  not  see  the  re 
treating  column  of  the  enemy.  Here  they  scattered,  each  man  to 
pursue  the  scattered  fugitives  as  well  as  possible,  leaving  the  main 
column  to  its  chances  of  safety,  as  it  was  too  strong  for  them  to 
attack  in  earnest.  Here  and  there,  a  Confederate  would  over- 


630  Wheeler's  Cavalry  Escapades. 

take  a  blue-coat,  evidently  utterly  demoralized  by  the  sudden 
ness  of  the  late  attack.  Such,  at  least,  was  the  experience  of 
our  doughty  bugler,  who,  having  fully  tested  the  powers  of 
sound,  was  now  anxious  to  strike  some  blows  for  the  cause  in 
which  he  was  engaged. 

Exploring  a  small  passage  around  the  hill,  communicating 
with  the  hollow  in  which  they  then  were,  he  came,  somewhat 
suddenly,  upon  two  Yanks,  one  of  whom  was  riding  a  mule. 

"Halt!     Surrender!" 

The  summons  met  with  no  response  from  those  addressed;  and 
the  Reb,  resolved  that  they  should  not  thus  escape  him,  emptied 
a  barrel  of  his  revolver  at  them.  The  mounted  man  rolled  from 
his  saddle  with  a  bullet  through  his  brain,  while  the  other,  to 
whose  fears  this  lent  new  wings,  ran  on  with  redoubled  speed. 
Knowing  that  the  first  was  safe,  Nance  pursued  the  other  at  full 
speed.  His  horse  struggled  bravely  up  the  hill,  and  at  last  he 
was  in  the  little  grove  that  crowned  its  summit.  Unwilling  to 
pause,  even  to  give  the  noble  animal  the  moment's  rest  which 
was  so  much  needed,  he  had  struck  his  spurs  afresh  into  the 
quivering  flanks,  when  he  saw,  on  the  summit  of  the  next  hill, 
within  easy  range,  the  whole  Federal  line  drawn  up  anew,  as 
they  had  been  across  the  road.  He  had  been  so  keen  in  his 
pursuit  of  the  fugitive  that  he  had  not,  until  that  moment,  per 
ceived  the  hornet's  nest  into  which  he  had  rushed ;  but  fortunate 
ly,  he  was  quick  in  conception  as  in  action  •  a  touch  upon  the 
rein,  and  he  had  wheeled  his  horse,  the  spurs  only  serving  to  urge 
him  in  the  contrary  direction  from  that  in  which  the  rider  had 
intended  to  go.  Riding  back  to  Gen.  Wheeler,  he  reported  his 
adventure,  and  the  success  with  which  he  had  met. 

"Did  you  get  the  gun  of  the  Yankee  you  shot  ?" 

"No,  sir,  I  had  no  need  for  it,  and  could  not  well  carry  it." 

"I  wish  you  would  get  it  for  me,  will  you?" 

"Certainly." 

He  returned  in  a  few  minutes  with  the  gun,  and,  by  G-en. 
Wheeler's  order,  the  whole  little  force  set  out  for  the  Peedee 
again,  for  there  was  of  course  imminent  danger  of  capture.  The 
Federals,  perceiving  no  signs  that  the  attack  was  to  be  renewed, 
took  fresh  courage,  and  sent  forward  a  few  men  to  ascertain  the 
intentions  of  the  enemy.  Having  thus  learned  something  of  the 
strength  of  the  assaulting.party,  and  that  it  was  in  full  retreat, 
they  hastily  advanced  in  the  direction  advised  by  those  officers 


Wheeler's  Cavalry  Escapades.  631 

who  had  made  the  reeonnoissaDce.  The  Confederates,  though 
unaware  that  such  a  movement  had  actually  taken  place,  were 
yet  alarmed  lest  the  enemy  might  determine  upon  it,  and  re 
treated  at  full  speed  to  the  river.  But  they  were  not  destined 
to  swim  the  swift  waters  as  they  had  done  on  the  previous  day, 
for  Gen.  Hampton,  in  the  absence  of  the  information  which  Gen. 
Wheeler  had  wished  to  procure,  and  fearing  that  the  latter  offi 
cer  might  have  been  captured,  had  put  his  corps  in  motion  and 
crossed  the  river  early  that  morning.  The  little  body  of  scouts 
had  ridden  scarcely  two  miles  before  they  met  the  advance- 
guard,  and,  hurrying  rearward,  each  man  was  soon  in  his  place. 
Although  there  was  but  little,  if  any,  information  or  advant 
age  gained  by  this  scout,  it  had  this  one  point  in  its  favor  :  there 
was  nothing  lost.  In  spite  of  their  furious  charge  upon  the  su 
perior  force  of  Federals,  there  was  not  one  of  their  number  hurt 
by  the  bullets,  that,  for  a  few  minutes,  rained  about  them. 
When,  therefore,  we  admire  and  wonder  at  the  daring  of  an  offi 
cer  who,  with  so  small  an  escort,  penetrated  even  so  short  a  dis 
tance  into  the  enemy's  country,  our  ardor  is  not  damped  by 
the  reflection  that  he  sacrificed  human  life  to  his  audacity. 


DESTROYING  THE  ENEMY'S    STORES. 

The  Deserter's  Information — Wouldn't  oe  Outdone — The  Invitation  Accepted — 
The  Departure  from  Camp — Pompey's  Distrust — At  the  Point  Threatened — 
Access  to  the  House — Enemies  Near — Caution — The  Powder  Securely  Dis 
posed  of —  A  Sudden  Attack  —  A  Desperate  Struggle  —  Victory — Eapid  Ke- 
treat — Pompey's  Dismay. 

SAY,  L ,"  said  a  Fire  Zouave  in  the  Army  of  thePoto- 

mac,  as  he  looked  cautiously  about  him  to  see  that  there 
were  no  eaves-droppers  near,  "let's  go  on  a  little  private  raid. 
What  do  you  say  ?" 

"Well,  I  don't  know,"  was  the  reply,  in  a  doubtful  tone; 
"what  kind  of  a  raid  ?  Where  to  ?" 

"Well,  there  was  a  deserter  brought  in  last  night — not  one  of 
our  men,  but  from  over  there" — and  he  jerked  his  thumb  in  the 
direction  of  the  Confederate  lines.  "He  said  as  how  there  was  a 
right  smart  sight  of  ammunition  where  it  wouldn't  be  so  orful 
hard  to  get." 

"Whereabouts?"  demanded  the  other,  his  interest  now  fully 
aroused. 

"Do  you  want  to  go?"  the  first  replied,  Yankee  fashion. 

"Well,  if  it  ain't  too  much  pork  for  a  shilling,  I  guess  I'll  go. 
But  are  you  sure  the  ammunition  is  really  there  ?  Who  did  he 
tell?" 

"Me.  I  treated  him.  Had  some  of  that  whisky  left  we  got 

when  we  raided  that  Rebel  house  over  in county.  Tell 

you  what,  that  ex-Reb  knows  a  thing  or  two  about  liquor,  he 
does  that." 

"They  all  do,  hang  'em,  and  they  all  get  it,  too,  by  some  hook 
or  crook.  But  are  you  sure  he  ain't  a  foolin'  you,  now?" 


Destroying  the  Enemy's  Stores.  633 

"He  swore  it  was  so,  anyhow,  and  he's  on  his  good  behavior 
now,  you  know — just  converted.  Talking  about  conversion,  did 
you  hear  what  Col.  C said  the  other  day  ?" 

"That  profane  old  fellow,  that  cusses  oftener  than  he  breathes  ? 
No." 

"Well,  you  know  how  Chaplain  M is  always  talking  pious; 

so  the  other  day  he  goes  to  Col.  C 's  tent,  and  begins  to  talk 

to  him  about  the  wonderful  piety  of  the th  Massachusetts — 

ten  men  had  been  baptized,  and  so  on.  Well,  the  old  fellow  got 
disgusted  at  that,  and  ripped  out  an  oath  that  made  the  chap 
lain's  hair  stand  on  end.  Then  he  turned  around  to  his  order 
ly  and  told  him  to  have  fifteen  men  detailed  for  baptism  right 
away — he  wasn't  going  to  be  outdone  by  any  d d  Massachu 
setts  regiment  in  the  army.  The  orderly  told  me  that." 

"Is  that  the  way  your  ex-Reb  was  converted  ?" 

"No,  I  guess  not.  He  was  a  loyal  man  living  within  the  Eebel 
lines,  and  got  conscripted  •  so  he  deserted  just  as  soon  as  he  got 
a  chance.  I  guess  he's  all  right.  But  if  you  ain't  willing  to 
risk  it,  I  can  get  some  one  else  to  go  with  me,"  replied  the 
Zouave,  turning  away. 

"Hold  on  ;  I  didn't  say  that  I  wouldn't  go,  did  I  ?" 

"N — no,  not  exactly." 

"I'll  go,  of  course,  and  thank  you  for  the  invitation.  But 
can't  you  tell  a  fellow  some  particulars  ?" 

"It's  ball-cartridges,  and  there's  several  thousand  of  them. 
They're  in  a  room  in  the  second  story  of  that  big  house  the  oth 
er  side  of  the  woods — you  know  the  one  I  mean  ?" 

"Yes,  the  old  fellow's  Secesh — some  of  the  boys  say  he's  a 

spy." 

"That's  the  one.  Now,  we'll  get  hold  of  a  horse  and  wagon, 
and  we'll  put  it  safely  away  till  sunset.  Then  we'll  go  and  get 
it  without  letting  the  other  fellows  know  what  we  are  about,  or 
they'll  all  want  to  go  along,  and  that  would  spoil  the  fun.  We'll 
drive  up  pretty  near  the  house,  and  hide  the  wagon  until  we  get 
it  filled." 

"But  where  is  the  wagon  ?" 

"Trust  me  to  attend  to  that,"  answered  the  Zouave  with  a 
mysterious  wink,  and  a  knowing  look. 

"And,  granting  that  you  get  the  wagon  and  we  get  there  all 
right,  how  are  you  going  to  get  the  bags  in  the  wagon  without 
bein^r  seen  ?" 


634  Destroying  the  Enemy's  Stores, 

"Don't  you  want  to  go  ?" 

"Oh,  yes,  of  course." 

"Well,  then" —  and  here  followed  a  succession  of  nods  and 
winks  and  gestures  which  were  very  expressive,  but  which  can 
hardly  be  put  on  paper.  In  a  few  more  words,  the  rendezvous 
was  appointed,  and  with  a  caution  to  his  companion  "not  to  let 
the  other  fellows  get  wind  of  it,"  the  Zouave  strolled  away. 

So  careless  was  the  demeanor  of  both  during  the  afternoon  that 
there  was  no  suspicion  aroused  in  the  minds  of  "  the  other  fel 
lows,"  and  the  Zouave  sauntered  carelessly  out  of  camp  towards 
a  hill  that  reared  its  tree-crowned  summit  at  a  short  distance. 

A  short  time  afterward,  and  just  as  the  sun  was  setting,  L 

followed  him  to  the  same  point  by  a  slightly  different  route; 
for  just  beyond  this  hill  was  the  rendezvous.  The  Zouave  had 

arrived  at  the  given  point  some  time  before  L came  up,  and 

was  actually  in  possession  of  the  horse  and  wagon.  Perched  on 
the  seat,  with  the  lines  in  his  hand,  he  was  emitting  clouds  of 
smoke  from  his  short  clay  pipe,  and  holding  converse  with  a 
negro  who  stood  near.  The  latter' s  dusky  face  expressed  con 
siderable  anxiety. 

"Now,  mind,  Pompey,  you  must  come  back  here  to  this  very 
spot  at  this  time  to-morrow  night,  to  get  your  horse  and  wagon 
and  the  money  we're  going  to  pay  you  for  the  use  of  it." 

"Will  de  waggin  be  hyar,  sah  ?" 

"Will  the  wagon  be  here?  Why,  of  course  it  will,  or  I  wouldn't 
tell  you  to  come  after  it." 

"An'  de  hoss  too,  sah  ?" 

"Of  course.     What  do  you  mean  ?" 

"Nuffin,  sah ;  but  if  hit's  all  de  same,  couldn't  you  pay  me 
now?" 

"Pompey,  you  insult  me" — very  indignantly — "do  you  mean 
that  you  think  I  don't  intend  to  pay  you  ?  Tell  me  quick."  (A 
severe  frown.) 

"Oh,  no,  sah,  no  sah" — hastily — "Ijist — well,  now,  you  know, 
sah,  sometimes  de  sogers  dey  go  out  all  gay  and  smilin'  like  de 
flower  ob  de  field  and  dey  come  back  like  de  grass  dat's  cut 
down  and  cast  into  de  oben.  Now  ef  you  was  to  do  like  dat, 
sah,  and  not  come  back  nebber  no  more,  I  wouldn't  hab  de  wag- 
gin,  and  I  wouldn't  hab  de  hoss,  and  I  wouldn't  git  de  money." 

"But  we  ain't  that  kind,  Pompey;  we  never  turn  up  missing  ; 
why,  we've  both  been  soldiers  a  long  time  now,  and  we  never 


Destroying  the  Enemy's  Stores. 


635 


got  killed  yet.     It  seems  to  me  you  are  unnecessarily  anxious." 
Pompey  looked  doubtful,  as  if  he  did  not  more  than  half  be 
lieve  the  speaker ;  and  the  soldier  went  on  ; 

"Now  see  here  ;  we  came  down  hereto  fight  for  yourfreedonij 
and  it's  a  darned  shame  if  you  can't  trust  us  one  day  and  night 
with  your  old  horse  and  wagon.  I  could  pay  you  now  just  as 
easy  as  not,  and  I  would  if  you  hadn't  behaved  so  awful  mean 
about  it;  but  now,  I  won't.  And  if  you  follow  us  one  single 
step,  I'll  hang  you  high  as  Hainan — hang  you  up  by  your  wool, 


Pompey' s  Anxiety. 

and  let  you  hang  there  until  it's  so  straight  it  will  never  be 
kinky  again." 

The  words  were  uttered  with  most  impressive  earnestness,  as 
the  speaker  glanced  at  a  coil  of  rope  that  lay  at  his  feet,  as  if 
the  instrument  of  torture  were  all  ready  for  the  proposed  use. 
The  darkey  felt  the  threatened  wool  tenderly,  and  then  con 
cluded  to  scratch  his  head.  Apparently,  that  operation  exerted 
a  quieting  influence,  for  he  replied  : 

"Berry  well,  boss;  jist  as  you  say,  sah.     I'll  be  hyar." 
They  drove  rapidly  away,  and  before  very  long,  were  within 
a  short  distance  of  the  house  where  the  ammunition  was  stored. 
The  stroll  from  the  camp  to  the  rendezvous  had  taken  consider 
able  time,  as  both  were  desirous  of  appearing  to  have  no  object 


636  Destroying  the  Enemy's  Stores. 

in  view  ;  and  to  preserve  this  appearance,  they  were  obliged  to 
turn  aside  several  times  from  the  more  direct  course.  Some  few 
minutes  had  been  consumed  in  convincing  Pompey  that  it  was 
all  right,  and  some  in  the  drive;  so  that,  although  they  set  out 
at  sunset,  it  was  pitch  dark  when  they  arrived  at  the  clump  of 
trees  in  which  the  horse  and  wagon  were  to  be  hidden. 

""We're  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  house.  See  that 
light?  That's  in  the  room  just  under  the  one  where  the  ammu 
nition  is,"  whispered  the  Zouave. 

They  stole  cautiously  towards  the  house,  keeping  the  light 
steadily  in  view  ;  for  it  was  their  only  guide  through  the  intense 
darkness.  Not  a  sound  was  made  by  them,  save  when  a  twig 
cracked  under  the  foot,  and  the  soldier  muttered  a  curse  upon 
his  own  awkwardness.  At  last  the  distance  was  traversed,  and 
they  were  directly  under  the  window  from  which  the  light  was 
visible.  The  sill  was  about  five  feet  from  the  ground,  so  that 
they  must  crouch  down  in  order  .to  avoid  being  seen  from  the 
inside.  There  they  lay,  the  darkness  around  them  so  intense 
that  neither  could  see  the  other,  but  each  could  only  assure  him 
self  of  his  comrade's  presence  by  touch.  Here  they  must  remain 
until  it  was  safe  to  try  for  the  upper  part  of  the  house. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  commotion  within  the  room;  the  tread 
of  heavy  boots  was  heard,  and  deep,  strong  voices  spoke;  then 
there  was  the  clang  of  metal,  and  the  soldiers  without  knew  that 
those  within  had  laid  aside  their  arms.  Confederate  soldiers, 
evidently,  as  their  host  was  a  strong  Secessionist.  The  window 
above  the  heads  of  the  two  Federals  was  half  open,  and  every 
sound  inside  could  be  plainly  heard  outside,  and  vice  versa. 
With  sharpened  ears  the  two  concealed  men  waited  to  hear  what 
was  said  within,  but  soon  found  that  the  visitors  were  not  come 
on  any  particular  business,  but  appeared  to  be  relatives  and 
friends  of  the  family. 

"Better  go  now,  I  guess,"  whispered  the  Zouave  to  his  com 
panion. 

But  as  they  were  about  to  rise,  L ,  whose  limbs  were 

cramped  by  remaining  so  long  in  one  uncomfortable  position, 
felt  his  foot  slip  aside ;  he  fell  heavily  upon  his  comrade,  his 
shoe  making  a  loud  crunching  noise  on  the  gravel.  The  men 
within  were  instantly  alarmed  by  the  sound,  and  hastily  rushed 
to  the  window.  The  sash  was  thrown  up  as  far  as  it  would  go, 
and  several  of  them,  leaning  far  out,  peered  into  the  darkness. 


Destroying  the  Enemy's  Stores.  637 

The  Federals  could  see  the  gleam  of  their  long  knife-blades,  as 
they  held  the  bowies,  the  only  weapon  they  had  not  laid  aside, 
ready  for  use.  But  the  two  blue-coats  crouched  lower  and  near 
er  to  the  wall,  and  were  not  discerned  in  the  darkness.  The 
Confederates  finally  concluded  that  the  noise  resulted  from  some 
innocent  cause,  and  drew  in  their  heads;  half  closing  the  win 
dow  as  before.  The  Federals  once  more  breathed  easily,  and 
replaced  their  revolvers,  which  they  had  held  cocked  and  aimed 
at  two  of  the  Confederates  above  them. 

This  unfortunate  occurrence,  of  course,  obliged  them  to  lie 
still  for  some  time  longer,  as  the  slightest  noise  would  again 
arouse  the  suspicions  of  the  Southerners  ;  and  the  Yankees  knew 
that  if  they  were  caught,  they  would  be  hanged  as  spies.  But  as 
they  heard  the  conversation  in  the  room  above  them  turned  to 
other  subjects  than  the  noise,  the  Zouave  grasped  his  comrade's 
arm,  and,  in  a  whisper,  desired  him  to  follow  him  closely.  Still 
crouching  so  that  their  heads  were  scarcely  four  feet  above  the 
ground,  they  crept  slowly  and  cautiously  to  the  angle  of  the 
house.  On  this  side,  even  more  care  must  be  observed,  for  the 
door  must  be  found  without  making  the  least  noise  with  the 
latch.  With  many  careful  gropings  the  Zouave  at  last  found  the 
entrance,  which  was  provided  with  one  of  the  old-fashioned 
latches  now  used  only  for  stores  and  outbuildings. 

"Take  off  your  shoes  and  carry  them,"  he  whispered,  "for  if 
We  leave  them  here  some  one  might  find  them." 

In  a  few  moments  they  were  both  shoeless,  and  then  he  care 
fully  lifted  the  latch,  and  guiding  his  comrade  into  the  passage, 
they  stole  up  stairs,  groping  their  way  as  they  went.  The  Zou 
ave  had  assured  L that  he  was  familiar  with  the  arrange 
ment  of  the  house,  and  his  conduct  now  justified  the  assertion; 
for  not  a  misstep  did  he  make,  and  although  their  advance  must 
be  slow,  he  went  straight  to  the  door  of  the  room  in  which  the 
ammunition  was  said  to  be  stored. 

"It's  locked  1"  whispered  the  Zouave,  with  an  oath,  as  he  tried 
the  door.  "Unless  we  can  get  into  that  room  we'll  have  had 
the  whole  trip  for  nothing." 

"But  how  can  we  get  in?" 

"Let's  try  this  window.  The  piazza  runs  clear  around  the 
house,  and  is  covered  all  the  way ;  so  that  there  must  be  a  win 
dow  in  that  room  opening  on  the  roof/' 

"Suppose  it  should  be  fastened  ?" 


638  Destroying  the  Enemy's  Stores. 

"Suppose  it  shouldn't,"  was  the  reply,  as  savagely  as  caution 
would  permit.  "I  guess  we  can  try  it,  anyhow." 

Fortunately,  the  heat  had  been  so  great  that  most  of  the  win 
dows  in  the  house  had  been  left  open.  Climbing  out  that  which 
opened  from  the  hallway,  they  walked  carefully  along  the  roof 
of  the  piazza,  keeping  as  near  the  house  as  possible,  and  crouch 
ing  so  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  see  them,  even  in  less  intense 
darkness,  from  below.  So  the  next  window  was  reached,  the 
one  which  opened  into  the  room  they  so 'much  wished  to  enter. 
Fortunately,  it  was  raised  ;  and  after  pausing  a  moment  to  list 
en,  lest  there  should  be  danger  approaching,  they  clambered  in. 
The  interior  of  the  room,  like  the  halls  and  the  outer  air,  was 
pitch  dark;  and  they  dared  not  even  strike  a  match,  lest  the 
glimmer  of  the  flame  should  betray  them.  Unacquainted  with 
the  appearance  of  the  room,  they  did  not  even  know  if  there  was 
any  furniture  in  it;  much  less  what  articles  there  might  be,  or 
where  they  might  be  placed.  Every  foot  of  the  floor  must  be 
carefully  felt,  until  they  should  find  the  canvas  bags;  and  that 
without  alarming  the  enemies  in  the  room  beneath  them. 

Creeping  slowly  and  silently  over  the  floor,  they  came  at  last 
upon  the  heap;  and  the  bags  were  removed,  two  at  a  time,  to 
the  roof  of  the  piazza  just  below  the  window  where  they  had  en 
tered.  Then,  retiring  some  distance  from  this  point,  they  held 
a  whispered  consultation  : 

"What  do  you  think  about  it,  L ?"  asked  the  Zouave,  some 
what  anxiously.  "Do  you  think  we  can  get  the  bags  down  to  the 
wagon  ?" 

"No,  I  don't ;  we'll  be  caught  just  as  sure  as  we  make  so  many 
trips.  "We  might  carry  some  off." 

"But  we  want  to  get  all." 

"Tes,  but  we  can't." 

"The  next  best  thing  to  carrying  them  all  off  would  be  to  keep 
the  enemy  from  using  the  stuff;  don't  you  think  so?" 

"Oh,  yes,  of  course." 

"Well,  then,  listen.  There's  a  deep  well  right  down  at  this 
corner  of  the  piazza.  If  you  can  lower  those  bags  to  me,  I'll 
drop  them  in." 

"All  right.     How  will  you  get  down  ?"  was  the  response. 

"This  way;"  and  the  Zouave,  who  had  worn  around  his  neck 
that  very  coil  of  rope  with  which  he  had  so  terribly  threatened 
the  darkey,  took  off  the  necktie,  and  fastened  one  end  of  it  to  the 


Destroying  the  Enemy's  Store*. 


Destroying  the  Enemy* 's  Stores.  641 

piazza.  "With  an  injunction  to  his  comrade  to  haul  up  the  loose 
end  as  soon  as  he  should  be  down,  and  to  lower  the  bags  by 
means  of  the  rope,  he  rapidly  descended.  In  a  moment's  time 
he  was  down,  and  the  rope  was  drawn  up.  The  bags  were  lowered 
cautiously,  and  dropped  into  the  well  one  by  one.  They  had 
thought  that  perhaps  the  splashing  with  which  the  heavy 
weights  fell  into  the  water  would  attract  the  attention  of  the  en 
emy  ;  but  it  appeared  that  the  latter  were  too  far  off  to  hear  the 
noise. 

The  last  bag  was  lowered,  and  as  the  Zouave  dropped  it  into  the 
well,  both  he  and  his  companion  felt  fervently  grateful  that  they 

had  not  been  discovered.  L was  about  to  descend,  when, 

withoiit  a  moment's  warning,  he  found  himself  in  the  grasp  of  a 
powerful  antagonist,  who  had  approached  him  unheard  while  he 
bent  all  his  attention  to  lowering  the  bags.  Instinctively  he 
clutched  at  his  enemy's  throat,  and  the  two  grappled  in  a  mor 
tal  contest. 

They  swayed  back  and  forth,  now  one  triumphant,  now  the  oth 
er.  But  the  Confederate  gained  the  use  of  his  right  hand, which 
clutched  a  bowie  ;  he  was  about  to  drive  it  to  the  Federal's  heart 
when  a  sudden  wrench  of  his  arm  sent  the  weapon  flying  over  his 
head.  There  was  nothing  left,  then,  but  a  combat  in  which  pure 
muscular  power  must  determine  the  victory,  the  Eeb  thought; 
and  he  knew  that  he  was  far  stronger  than  the  slender  form  in  his 
grasp.  But  a  man  who  fights  for  his  life  does  not  readily  give 
up;  this  one  knew  that  if  he  were  defeated,  he  would  be  hanged 
as  a  spy ;  for  there  was  no  summons  to  surrender.  So  they 
strove  for  the  mastery.  The  Federal  felt  his  strength  gradually 
failing  him  ;  a  moment  more,  and  that  iron  hand  would  close 
upon  his  throat  in  a  deadly  grasp.  Suddenly  relaxing  his  own 
hold  upon  his  opponent,  he  seized  his  revolver.  They  closed 
again  ;  but  in  an  instant  afterward,  the  muzzle  of  the  weapon 
was  pressed  against  the  Confederate's  forehead ;  there  was  a 
sharp  report;  and  the  dead  man  fell  heavily  to  the  roof,  thence 
to  the  ground. 

His  opponent  followed  him,  but  voluntarily,  wishing  to  rejoin 
his  comrade.  That  comrade  had  had  no  idle  moments  in  the  mean 
time.  The  Confederates  must  have  reconnoitered  carefully,  and 
found  just  how  many  men  were  engaged  and  what  they  were  do 
ing  ;  for  at  the  same  instant  that  the  one  above  stairs  had  sprung 
upon  L ,  the  Zouave  found  himself  in  the  grasp  of  two  ene- 


642  Destroying  the  Enemy's  Stores. 

mies.  Each  was  at  least  equal  in  strength  to  himself,  and  it  was 
only  by  desperate  exertions  that  he  could  prolong  the  unequal 
contest  for  a  moment's  time.  As  he  found  opportunity,  he  made 
a  dive  for  his  revolver — it  was  gone  !  Lost  in  the  struggle, 
doubtless.  The  Confederates  seemed  anxious  to  secure  their 
prize  alive,  for  they  used  no  weapons,  trusting  to  their  united 
strength  to  overcome  him. 

Foiled  in  his  first  attempt  to  defeat  them  by  the  use  of  arms, 
he  was  more  successful  in  the  second  ;  and  his  bowie  was  sheath 
ed  in  the  side  of  one  of  his  antagonists.  The  man  sank  to  the 
ground  without  a  moan,  the  warm  blood  gushing  from  a  ghastly 
wound  in  the  left  side,  just  under  the  fifth  rib.  The  struggle 
was  now  more  nearly  equal,  although  it  was  the  stronger  of  the 
two  Confederates  that  was  left  alive. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  below  when  L fired,  and  hav 
ing  thus  rid  himself  of  his  own  antagonist,  leaped  to  the  ground 
to  find  his  comrade.  The  soft  earth  gave  way  beneath  his  feet, 
and  he  fell  forward  ;  as  he  scrambled  to  an  erect  position,  his 
hand  came  in  contact  with  rough  cloth — could  it  be  the  clothing 
of  the  dead  Zouave?  He  felt  farther  along  the  mass  of  lifeless 
clay,  and  his  hands  were  bathed  in  the  warm  blood.  Deter 
mined,  at  any  risk,  to  find  if  this  were  the  body  of  his  comrade, 
or  if  the  Zouave  was  still  alive,  he  called  : 

"Where  are  you,  H ?" 

"Here  I  am,"  came  the  reply,  from  a  point  but  a  few  yards 
off;  "come  and  help  me,  for  mercy's  sake."  * 

He  sprang  to  the  assistance  of  his  companion  ;  and  the  burly 
Rebel,  unable  to  resist  their  united  powers,  was  dragged  to  the 
curb  of  the  well.  He  struggled  desperately,  but  it  was  of  no 
avail.  A  moment  he  hung  suspended  over  the  dark  abyss,  black 
er  even  than  the  darkness  that  surrounded  them;  then,  their 
grasp  relaxed;  his  arms  clutched  convulsively,  but  they  clutch 
ed  only  the  air  ;  and  as  his  fingers  closed  in,  he  fell  down — down 
— to  the  dark  waters  thirty  feet  below,  to  the  ocky  bottom  as 
far  below  the  surface  of  the  water. 

There  was  no  time  for  delay ;  the  Federals  d.d  not  know  how 
many  more  enemies  there  might  be ;  and  without  waiting  to  hear 
the  plash  of  the  focman's  body  in  the  water,  they  plunged  into 
the  shrubbery  that  surrounded  the  house,  and  made  for  the 
horse  and  wagon.  It  may  well  be  believed  that  no  time  was 
lost  ID  getting  away  from  that  locality,  although,  as  they  were 


Destroying  the  Enemy's  Stores.  643 

not  pursued,  their  haste  was  needless.  They  reached  camp  in 
safety,  rejoicing  over  the  idea  that  if  they  had  not  carried  off 
any  of  the  stores  of  the  enemy,  they  had  at  least  destroyed  some 
of  importance. 

Pompey  received  his  horse  and  wagon  with  considerable  sur 
prise;  and  when  asked  if  he  had  any  doubts  about  the  Zouave's 
intention  to  return  them,  answered  in  some  confusion  : 

"Oh  no,  sah;  no,  sah;  but — I'se — Fse  mighty  feared  you  was 
a  gwine  ter  git  killed,  boss." 

"Much  obliged  to  you  for  the  use  of  them,  Pompey,"  returned 
the  Zouave. 

"Didn't  you  forget  somefin/  boss  ?"  asked  the  darkey,  anx 
iously. 

"Oh,  the  money  ?  Well,  Pomp,  you  just  make  out  the  bill  and 
send  it  to  the  Board  of  Claims,  in  Washington.  I  haven't  a  cent 
to  spare." 


CAPTURING  TWO  GENERALS. 

An  Attractive  Idea — Cumberland — How  They  Got  the  Countersign — Gathering  in 
the  Keserves — "  Scouts  from  New  Creek  " — No  Time  for  Ceremony — A  Faith 
ful  Servant — "Sent  Out  to  Reconnoiter" — Necessity  for  Haste — Pursued — 
Escape  With  Prisoners — Recognition  of  Services. 

NEW  CREEK,  Virginia,  had  been  surprised  and  captured 
by  Gen.  Rosser  of  the  Confederate  Army,  and  in  accord 
ance  with  the  policy  of  the  Federal  Government  at  that  time,  the 
officer  in  command  of  the  department  in  which  that  station  was 
situated,  Maj.-Gen.  Kelley,  had  been  removed  to  make  room  for 
another  of  less  unfortunate  antecedents,  Maj.-G-en.  Crook. 
Though  no  longer  in  command,  Gen.  Kelley,  having  as  yet  re 
ceived  no  orders  to  proceed  elsewhere,  was  still  at  his  old  head 
quarters,  one  of  the  principal  hotels  in  the  city  of  Cumberland  ; 
while  Gen.  Crook  had  established  himself  at  the  other  house  of 
similar  standing. 

The  idea  of  two  Federals  of  the  rank  of  Major-General,  in  one 
town,  and  probably  feeling  entirely  secure  as  to  their  own  per 
sons,  was  an  attractive  one  to  a  certain  young  Confederate.  He 
ranked  only  as  a  lieutenant,  but  the  death  of  his  father,  the  gal 
lant  old  Captain  McNeill,  of  the  McNTeill  Hangers,  left  him  practi 
cally  in  command  of  that  body  of  daring  men,  as  no  successor 
had  yet  been  commissioned.  The  thought  grew  more  and  more 
pleasing  as  it  became  more  familiar;  and  having  thoroughly  in 
vestigated  the  state  of  affairs  in  and  around  Cumberland,  he 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  would,  at  any  rate,  make  the  at 
tempt  to  capture  the  two  generals. 

It  must  be  rememberod  that  Cumberland  was,  at  that  time,  a 
city  of  eight  or  nine  thousand  inhabitants.  There  was,  accord- 
644 


Capturing  Two  Generals.  645 

ing  to  the  most  reliable  information  that  Lieut.  McKeill  could 
obtain,  nearly  that  number  of  Federals  encamped  there;  he 
would  be  obliged,  of  course,  to  penetrate  the  two  lines  of  pick 
ets,  and  without  arousing  the  main  body  of  soldiery,  enter  the 
town,  obtain  access  to  the  two  headquarters,  and  carrying  off 
the  officers  of  highest  rank,  evade  pursuit.  For  this  work  he 
had  but  sixty  effective  men ;  for  in  the  skirmish  in  which  his 
father  had  been  killed,  many  of  his  Eangers  had  fallen  ;  others 
were  wounded ;  others  absent  on  necessary  duty.  Nothing 
could  be  hoped,  then,  if  they  were  discovered.  The  whole  plan 
must  be  wrought  out  in  one  night,  and  with  the  greatest  cau 
tion. 

Carefully  arranging  all  the  details  of  route  and  duties,  the 
sixty  men  set  out  on  their  perilous  adventure.  The  path  was 
well  known  to  the  Bangers,  and  they  were  accustomed  to  silent 
movements  through  the  darkness  ;  it  was  without  adventure, 
then,  that  they  crossed  Knobby  Mountain  and  reached  the  bank 
of  the  North  Branch  of  the  Potomac.  They  crossed  the  stream, 
and  halted  near  the  picket  post  which  was  nearest  the  course 
they  had  marked  out.  It  was  only  a  momentary  halt,  hoVever, 
and  they  rode  on  to  the  picket. 

"What  is  your  countersign?"  demanded  Lieut.  McNeill,  stern 
ly,  as  he  boldly  rode  up  to  the  picket.  The  Federal,  a  huge, 
thick-headed,  slow-witted  German,  was  so  surprised  by  the  sud 
den  apparition  that  he  failed  to  collect  his  sluggish  thoughts, 
and  stammered  out : 

"BooFs  Kap."     (Bull's  Gap.) 

"All  right,"  answered  the  Confederate,  nonchalantly ;  and  he 
and  his  men  rode  past,  leaving  the  picket  wondering  "who  in  ter 
teufel  it  could  be  dat  demanded  de  countersign  in  dat  style.  It 
must  be  a  sheneral  at  least;  maybe  der  Bresitent  Lincoln." 

They  rode  five  miles  further  on  down  the  county  road,  and 
then  struck  into  the  pike.  Presently  came  the  expected  chal 
lenge: 

"Halt !     Who  comes  there  ?" 

"Friends,  with  the  countersign." 

"Dismount  and  advance,  one,  and  give  the  countersign." 

Lieut.  McNeill's  ankle  had  been  badly  crushed  a  short  time 
before,  so  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  comply  with  the  first 
part  of  the  order;  he  was  about  to  give  the  countersign  from  his 
saddle,  having  urged  his  horse  forward  for  the  purpose,  when 


646 


Capturing  Two  Generals. 


he  heard,  to  his  surprise  and  even  disgust  at  the  timid  sentinel: 
"Don't  shoot;  I  surrender." 

Alarmed  by  the  advance  of  a  mounted  man,  the  luckless  sol 
dier  took  this  course  to  save  his  own  life.  On  they  went  gath 
ering  in  the  reserves.  The  first  captured  were  cavalry.  These 
were  taken  with  them.  The  next  were  infantry.  Disarming 
them  and  destroying  their  guns,  the  Eangers  paroled  these,  the 
condition  being  that  they  should  remain  where  they  were  until 
morning. 

"The  town  is  surrounded,  and  there  isn't  any  possibility  of  es 
cape,  so  you  needn't  try,"  the  Rangers  gravely  assured  the  pris 
oners,  who,  to  use  a 
modern  slang  expres 
sion,  "took  it  all  in," 
and  obeyed  orders. 
Their  best  plan,  as  they 
knew,  was  to  act  bold 
ly,  as  if  they  were  a 
Federal  force.  Enter 
ing  the  town  on  the 
west  side,  then,  and 
crossing  Will's  Creek,, 
which  flows  through 
it,  they  rode  deliber 
ately  up  one  of  the 
principal  thorough 
fares,  Baltimore  St., 
laughing,  talking,  and 
whistling,  as  they 
Getting  the  Countersign.  mighthave  passed 

through  Richmond,  or  as  the  Union  scouts  which  they  pretend 
ed  to  be  might  have  done  in  Cumberland. 

Guards  paced  the  streets,  and  from  these  came  friendly  salu 
tations  and  challenges,  such  as  : 

"Hello,  boys,  who  might  you  "be  ?" 

"Scouts  from  "New  Creek,"  replied  the  Confederates. 

It  was  two  or  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  before  they  had 
reached  the  city  and  penetrated  to  its  heart.  Moving  without  or 
ders,  like  the  dancers  in  a  quadrille,  the  party  divided  as  it  reach 
ed  a  given  point,  one  detachment  proceeding  to  the  St.  Nicholas, 
the  other,  under  the  command  of  Lieut.  Welton,  to  the  Revere 


Capturing  Two  Generals.  647 

House.  As  Lieut.  McNeill's  ankle  disabled  him,  he  was  obliged 
to  remain  in  the  saddle,  and  leave  the  actual  work  of  the  first 
party  to  be  performed  by  Jas.  "W.  Kuykendall.  Let  us  first  fol 
low  the  Confederates  in  this  party  to  the  St.  Nicholas0 

Those  who  had  been  previously  appointed  for  the  purpose, 
dismounted  as  soon  as  they  halted,  and  entered  the  hotel.  Pass* 
ing  the  guards  by  means  of  the  countersign,  they  procure  a  light 
and  ascertain  the  position  of  G-en.  Kelley's  room;  leaving  the 
sentries  to  be  surprised  and  silently  secured  by  the  comrades 
whom  they  had  left  outside.  In  order  to  enter  Gen.  Kelley's 
apartment,  it  was  necessary  to  pass  through  that  occupied  by 
his  Adjutant-General,  Major  Melvin ;  securing  this  officer,  which 
required  but  a  moment,  and  taking  hasty  note  of  the  fact  that 
they  had  captured  four  headquarters  colors,  they  knocked  at 
Gen.  Kelley's  door. 

Thus  aroused  from  sleep,  the  general  raised  himself  on  his  el 
bow  and  looked  inquiringly  at  the  intruder,  not  knowing  but 
that  some  message  of  importance  might  have  brought  him.  But 
before  he  had  time  to  put  the  inquiry  into  words,  the  Confeder 
ate  said  to  him : 

"I  suppose  you  know  me,  General/' 

"Yes,"  answered  Kelley,  with  a  puzzled  expression,  as  he  rec 
ognized  the  face  and  voice,  "you  are  Mr.  Kuykendall." 

"I  was  your  prisoner  once,  but  I  have  the  honor  to  have  cap 
tured  you  now.  You  are  my  prisoner,  sir." 

"But  to  whom  am  I  to  surrender?"  demanded  the  officer,  re 
luctant  to  own  himself  the  prisoner  of  a  soldier  ranking  so  far 
below  himself. 

"To  me,  sir;  there  is  no  time  for  ceremony,  and  you  will  find 
it  wisest  not  to  insist  on  it.  Please  to  dressVt  once." 

There  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  obey  the  order,  and  the  party 
speedily  repaired  to  the  rendezvous  previously  appointed.  In 
the  meantime,  the  other  portion  of  the  force  had  gone  to  the 
Eevere  House.  Halted  in  front  of  the  main  entrance  by  the  sen 
tinel  on  duty  there,  they  replied  to  the  usual  question : 

"Friends,  with  the  countersign,  bearing  important  dispatches 
for  Gen.  Crook." 

Five  men  had  dismounted  as  soon  as  the  party  had  drawn  rein, 
Jos.  L.  Yandiver  being  the  leader  of  the  squad.  Advancing  as 
if  to  give  the  countersign,  one  of  them,  by  a  dexterous  movement 
wrested  the  sentinel's  gun  from  his  hand,  while  two  were 


648  Capturing  Two  Generals. 

detailed  to  guard  him.  The  outer  door  of  the  apartments  occu 
pied  byG-en.  Crook  was  reached,  and  a  knock  evidently  aroused 
some  one  within. 

"  Who's  dar?" 

"  Open  the  door.     I  want  to  see  the  general  right  away." 

"De  general's  asleep." 

"  Let  me  in,  anyhow;  I  must  see  him.  Hurry  up.  It's  very 
important." 

With  much  caution  the  door  is  opened,  and  a  diminutive  dark 
ey  blocks  the  way. 

"  Which  is  Gen.  Crook's  door  ?" 

"  I'se  feered  to  tell.     He's  asleep." 

"Which  is  Gen.  Crook's  door?"  repeated  the  Confederate, 
threateningly. 

"  Specs  you  mought  fin'  him  in  dar,  sah,  but  I  ain't  gwine  to 
tell,  kase— " 

But  the  reason  was  lost  to  the  listener,  for  at  the  first  indica 
tion  which  the  cautious  darkey  gave  he  had  turned  to  the  door 
to  which  he  had  nodded,  and  now  knocked. 

"  Come  in,"  calls  the  general,  awaking  with  true  soldierly 
instinct  at  the  first  call  of  duty  or  danger. 

In  acceptance  of  the  invitation,  Yandiver,  with  a  light  in  his 
left  hand  and  a  pistol  half  concealed  in  his  right,  enters. 

"  This  is  Gen.  Crook,  I  presume  ?" 

"  I  am,  sir." 

"  I  am  Gen.  Eosser,  sir ;  you  are  my  prisoner.  You  will  please 
dress  immediately  and  accompany  me." 

Gen.  Crook  stared  a  moment  at  the  new  comer,  as  if  he  would 
doubt  the  evidence  of  his  own  senses,  but  was  speedily  aroused 
to  the  reality  of  the  circumstances  by  Yandiver's  impatient* 

"Here  are  your  clothes,  General ;  you  had  better  put  them  on 
unless  you  prefer  to  go  as  you  are." 

The  officer,  thoroughly  awakened  by  such  a  decided  command, 
dressed  himself  rapidly,  and  in  a  few  moments  followed  his  cap 
tor  down  stairs.  The  rendezvous  was  speedily  reached,  and  the 
force,  once  more  reunited,  rode  out  of  town.  More  than  once 
they  are  stopped  by  the  pickets. 

"Halt !     Who  goes  there  ?" 

"Friends,  with  the  countersign." 

"Dismount,  one  ;  advance,  and  give  the  countersign." 

"No  time  to  dismount;  enemy  reported  near  by,"  Lieut.  Mo- 


Capturing  Two  Generals.  649 

would  answer,  as  he  rode  up  to  the  picket  and  gave  the 
password. 

"Sent  out  on  a  reconnoissance?" 

"Yes,  Gen.  Crook  wants  their  movements  carefully  watched. " 

"Go  in  and  win ;  give  'em  pepper,  or  anything  else  that's  hot." 

"O,  you  may  bet  your  bottom  dollar  we're  the  boys  for  that." 

"Cold  night,  though." 

"We'll  make  it  hot  for  the  enemy." 

So  they  filed  past  the  pickets  in  the  outer  line.  But  of  course 
they  were  by  no  means  safe,  even  after  they  had  crossed  the  Po 
tomac;  for  they  would  certainly  be  pursued  as  soon  as  the  cap 
ture  of  the  two  generals  should  be  discovered;  and  they  could 
not  hope  that  it  would  remain  a  secret  after  morning  had  dawned, 
sven  if  it  should  not  be  betrayed  before.  They  rode  rapidly, 
%he  rearguard  being  specially  cautioned  as  to  the  necessity  for 
the  greatest  vigilance.  They  reached  Eomney  about  eight  in 
the  morning,  and  had  not  left  it  far  behind  them  when  the  rear- 
guard  reported  a  force  of  Federal  cavalry,  about  equal  to  their 
own  numbers,  in  pursuit.  Several  shots  were  exchanged  be 
tween  the  two  detachments,  but  the  Feds  were  not  anxious  to 
bring  on  an  engagement  with  a  force  of  unknown  strength  and 
daring  courage  that  was  only  too  well  known,  while  the  Eebs 
were  only  too  anxious  to  escape  with  their  prisoners  to  their 
own  lines. 

When  they  passed  Moorefield,  about  two  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon,  the  rearguard  again  gave  the  alarm;  but  the  Yankees  ap 
peared  to  have  procured  reinforcements,  as  they  numbered  about 
two  hundred.  But,  far  as  their  force  exceeded  that  of  the  re 
treating  party,  they  were  not  equal  to  an  attack,  as  they  had 
galloped  their  horses  thirty-five  miles,  starting  when  the  alarm 
was  first  given,  and  being  fired  with  zeal  to  recapture  their  com 
mander. 

As  Lieut.  McNeill  afterwards  learned,  several  large  forces, 
numbering  nearly  ten  times  as  many  men  as  his  own,  were  sent 
out  in  different  directions  to  intercept  him  ;  but  he  escaped  with 
out  the  loss  of  a  man,  and  carried  his  prisoners  safely  to  the 
Confederate  lines,  where  they  were  delivered  up  to  the  proper 
authorities.  Gen.  Early,  on  hearing  of  the  capture,  decided  that 
the  man  who  could  plan  and  execute  such  a  daring  expedition 
was  fit  to  lead  the  men  who  had  followed  him  on  that  occasion  ; 
and  J4eut.  McNeill  was  accordingly  commissioned  captain  of 


650  Capturing  Two  Generals. 

the  company  of  Eangers  which  his  father  had  raised,  and  which, 
in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  times,  bore  his  name. 
Thus  the  son  worthily  perpetuated  the  fame  of  the  sire  by  a  gal 
lant  exploit  hardly  excelled  in  bold  conception  and  skillful  ex 
ecution  by  any  during  the  whole  war. 


A  NARROW  ESCAPE. 

A  Couple  of  Deserters — The  Court-Martial's  Finding— Preparations  for  the  Exe 
cution —  An  Impressive  Scene— " Shoulder  Arms!"  —  Baltimore  Telegraph 
Office — A  Delayed  Dispatch— "  For  Mr.  Lincoln's  Sake"— By  "Way  of  New 
York  and  Chicago— To  Harper's  Ferry — Just  in  Time— Pardoned. 

fnPlHE  present  story  so  far  differs  from  the  majority  of  those 
I  which  compose  this  volume,  that  the  men  who,  as  the  ti 
tle  indicates,  narrowly  escaped  an  imminent  danger,  had  no 
part  in  the  efforts  which  were  made  to  save  them.  Their  own 
hands  spun  that  thread  of  fate  which  forms  the  sombre  woof  of 
the  tale;  while  the  brighter  warp  came  from  another  source. 

And  since  it  is  so,  we  shall  have  to  change  the  scene  rapidly  ; 
the  curtain  rises,  falls,  and  rises  again;  now  the  stage  represents 
•One  place,  now  another;  the  actors  changing  too.  The  first  act 
is  but  dim  and  shadowy,  as  if  the  gas  burned  but  weakly  in  the 
immense  theater;  for  no  minute  written  record  of  it  exists.  Let 
us  briefly  sketch  its  outlines,  as  the  few  words  of  real  history 
present  them.  A  man  of  forty  or  more  years,  who  had  entered 
the  Federal  army,  tired  of  the  strictness  of  discipline,  or  perhaps 
i-esenting  the  petty  tyranny  of  a  subordinate  officer,  resolves 
that  he  will  stand  it  no  longer.  A  youth  of  twenty,  who  has  en 
listed  with  high  hopes  of  winning  honor  and  preferment — was 
not  Ouster  a  general  at  twenty-three? — found  that  "Ouster's 
Luck"  was  not  an  invariable  attendan  upon  youthful  soldiers, 
and  grew  weary  of  privation  and  suffering.  These  two  deserted. 
They  were  recaptured  and  court-martialed,,  The  military  tri 
bunal  found  them  guilty,  and  imposed  the  usual  sentence,  which 

was  approved  by  Gen.  Sheridan.   They  were  "to  be  shot  to  death 

651 


652  A  Narrow  Escape. 

with  musketry"  at  noon,  on  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  February, 
1865. 

The  news  was  sent  to  their  relatives,  who  at  once  went  to  work 
in  their  behalf.  What  arguments  were  used,  we  know  not ;  but 
the  President  was  not  induced  to  consider  the  case  until  so  late 
a  date  that  he  would  not  have  had  sufficient  time  before  the  exe 
cution,  for  the  examination  of  evidence.  The  condemned  men 
waited  for  the  news  to  come;  the  elder  with  a  sullen,  dogged  look 
on  his  face;  the  younger  seeming  scarcely  to  realize  the  gravity 
of  his  present  situation.  Hour  after  hour  of  the  precious  time 
had  passed,  and  the  morning  of  the  twenty-fourth  dawned,  gray 
and  dreary.  High  above  the  town  and  camp  at  Harper's  Ferry 
towered  the  hills  which  had  been  so  long  familiar  to  them,  on 
one  of  which  they  two  were  to  die  that  day,  unless  the  Command- 
er-in-Chief  of  the  Army  and  Navy  of  the  United  States  should  in 
terfere  in  the  case  of  two  privates  of  the  artillery. 

Their  guard  answered  by  a  mute  gesture  the  unspoken  ques' 
tion  of  the  elder  man;  no  message  had  been  received.  The 
youth  was  dazed;  he  could  not  comprehend  that  he  was  to  die 
at  the  hands  of  his  comrades,  with  whom  he  had  never  been  un 
popular ;  that  this  sentence  was  imposed  by  officers  who  knew 
nothing  of  him.  The  hour  appointed  for  the  execution  approach 
ed.  Upon  Bolivar  Heights  there  were  two  open  graves,  each 
with  a  rude  pine  coffin  beside  it;  and  the  tenants  for  whom  these 
narrow  houses  had  been  prepared  were  still  living.  Toward 
them  there  marched,  through  the  raw,  cloudy  day,  a  procession 
whose  whole  appearance  indicated  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion. 
The  band  led  the  way,  playing  a  slow  march ;  then  followed  Gen. 
Job  Stevenson,  the  commandant  of  the  post,  surrounded  by  his 
staff,  the  gorgeous  effect  of  their  uniforms  and  trappings  strange 
ly  at  variance  with  the  slow  and  stately  manner  of  their  advance  ; 
next  came  the  guard  surrounding  an  ambulance  ;  and  last  of  all 
came  an  entire  regiment,  marching  by  platoons,  with  reversed 
arms. 

The  stern  solemnity  of  the  military  procession  was  less  indica 
tive  of  human  interest  than  the  sympathizing  faces  of  the  neigh- 
.borhood  crowd  that  followed  it.  A  casual  observer  would  have 
supposed  that  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  Harper's  Ferry 
had  turned  out  to  view  the  sad  ceremony  of  the  day;  and  there 
was  not  a  face  which  did  not  express,  in  some  degree,  the  pre 
vailing  sentiment  of  the  day. 


A  Narrow  Escape.  653 

Over  all  hung  heavy  threatening  clouds;  under  foot  was  a 
light  snow,  which  melted  beneath  the  tread  of  so  many  feet,  and 
left  the  bare,  half-frozen  earth  visible  in  unsightly  patches.  A 
mile  upward  on  that  slope  of  Bolivar  Heights  which  is  nearest 
the  town  wound  the  long  dark  column ;  then,  obedient  to  the 
word  of  command,  they  halt.  Here  is  a  level  space,  backed  by  a 
ridge  of  ground,  in  which  stray  bullets  may  bury  themselves. 
Just  in  front  of  this  boundary  to  the  miniature  plateau  are  the 
graves  of  which  we  have  spoken.  The  troops  form  in  two  hol 
low  squares,  one  within  the  other,  the  opening  of  both  being  to 
ward  the  elevation.  The  condemned  men  are  taken  from  the  am 
bulance,  and  each  is  seated  upon  his  coffin.  Beside  them  stands 
the  chaplain  of  their  regiment  who  has  been  with  them  during 
their  terrible  ride,  endeavoring  to  prepare  them  for  the  approach 
of  death. 

The  voice  of  the  adjutant  breaks  a  solemn  stillness  as  he  reads 
the  formal  recital  of  the  court-martial's  proceedings,  detailing 
the  nature  of  their  offense  against  military  law,  the  evidence 
upon  which  they  were  convicted,  and  the  sentence  which  was 
now  to  be  executed.  Then  he  reads  the  order  of  Gen.  Sheridan, 
approving  this  decision  of  the  tribunal,  and  fixing  this  as  the  day 
and  hour  when  it  should  be  carried  into  effect.  The  crowd  out 
side  the  outer  square  of  soldiers  looked  anxiously  upward,  as  if 
to  question  the  arrival  of  the  time  ;  but  so  thick  were  the  clouds 
that  not  even  a  luminous  blur  showed  the  position  of  the  sun. 
The  soldiers,  officers  and  men,  as  in  duty  bound,  stared  straight 
forward  as  if  gazing  upon  vacancy. 

The  chaplain  knelt  beside  the  doomed  men,  praying  earnestly 
for  them;  for  the  sullen,  rugged  nature  of  the  man  who  would 
give  no  sign  lest  he  be  betrayed  into  an  unmanly  weakness;  for 
the  pitiful  calmness  of  the  boy  who  seemed  scarcely  to  realize 
what  was  to  be  the  result  of  all  these  preparations.  At  last  the 
good  man  arose,  and  grasping  the  hand  of  each  uttered  a  last 
word  of  encouragement.  The  lieutenant  in  charge  of  the  firing 
party,  which  was  about  a  score  of  paces  in  front  of  the  other 
troops,  looked  at  G-en.  Stevenson;  that  officer  looked  anxiously 
down  the  road;  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  ;  then  he  drew  his 
watch  out  and  consulted  it;  it  was  one  minute  past  twelve. 
There  was  no  longer  any  hope  of  a  pardon,  or  even  of  a  re 
prieve;  and  the  commander,  by  an  almost  imperceptible  nod, 
gave  the  signal  of  despair  to  his  subordinate.  Instantly  two 


654  A  Narrow  Escape. 

soldiers,  appointed  for  that  duty,  stepped  out  of  the  ranks  to 
bandage  the  eyes  of  the  condemned.  Hardly  a  breath  stirs  the 
vast  concourse  of  soldiers  and  civilians,  gathered  there  on  the 
hillside;  after  what  seems  an  interminable  length  of  time,  the 
painful  intensity  of  the  silence  is  broken  by  the  low,  clear  voice 
of  the  officer  in  command  of  the  firing  party: 

"  Attention  !  Shoulder  arms  !" 

A  moment  more  and  that  fatal  command  will  be  given ;  those 
two  blindfolded  men  will  fall,  in  the  agonies  of  death,  from  the 
coffins  on  which  they  are  now  seated;  to  be  laid  with  pitying 
hands  in  those  rude  boxes,  and  lowered  into  the  graves  that  now 
yawn  before  them.  Then  the  troops  will  form  once  more  in  a 
column,  not  with  arms  reversed  as  when  they  came,  and  return 
to  the  camp,  keeping  step  to  the  lively  march  wljich  the  band 
will  play.  Will  the  moment  by  which  such  changes  shall  be 
wrought  ever  come  ?  Or  will  a  merciful  Providence  send  in  its 
stead  another,  with  a  different  kind  of  work  to  do  ? 

Strangely  enough,  the  solution  to  these  questions  is  being 
worked  out  in  great  cities,  far  from  that  snow-covered  hillside; 
and  not  in  camp  or  council  of  war,  but  in  that  most  prosaically 
modern  of  all  places — the  telegraph  office.  Leaving  these  actors 
in  the  drama  here,  let  us  seek  elsewhere  for  the  other  dramatis 
personae,  as  the  modern  playwright  claims  it  is  his  privilege  to  do. 

The  time  of  this  second  act  (if  simultaneous  occurrences  can  be 
so  called)  is  the  twenty-fourth  of  February,  as  it  is  in  the  first; 
about  the  moment  that  the  imposing  cortege  of  the  first  began  to 
form.  The  curtain  rises  upon  a  telegraph  office  in  Baltimore. 
An  operator  sits  at  his  table,  busy  with  a  dispatch  which  has  just 
been  handed  him.  It  has  been  sent,  and  now  he  turns  to  take  up 
another,  when  he  hears  the  familiar  call  "C — A — L,"  repeated 
several  times.  It  is  the  signal  that  the  War  Department  has  a 
message  to  send ;  and  his  orders  are  imperative.  Every  tele 
graph  operator  in  the  country  knows  that  when  he  is  thus  sum 
moned,  he  must  drop  all  other  business,  and  attend  to  that  which 
may  be,  in  days  of  Civil  War,  of  vital  importance  to  the  country. 

This  was  the  message  which  he  was  called  upon  to  receive : 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  Feb.  23,  1864. 
GEN.  JOB  STEVENSON,  Harper's  Ferry : 

Deserters  reprieved  till  further  orders.     Stop  the  execution. 

A   LINCOLN, 


A  Narrow  Escape.  655 

Quickly  following  this  formal  dispatch,  came  the  "  talk"  of 
the  Washington  operator  over  the  wire : 

"  These  men  will  be  shot  at  noon  to-day  unless  Gen.  Stevenson 
receives  the  President's  message.  Don't  know  what  was  the 
reason,  but  it  was  sent  from  the  War  Department  yesterday,  and 
has  just  reached  this  office.  Send  it  on  at  once.  It  is  a  case  of 
life  and  death.  Would  not  have  known  about  it,  but  the  Presi 
dent  sent  an  officer  to  see  if  it  had  been  sent,  and  the  thing  was 
investigated.  Get  it  through  at  once  to  Harper's  Ferry,  and  let 
me  know,  as  the  officer  is  waiting  to  report  to  Mr.  Lincoln." 

Quickly  back  over  the  wires  flashed  the  answer  : 

"  Can't  do  it;  the  line  from  here  to  Harper's  Ferry  is  down. 
Nothing  has  passed  since  midnight.  Wish  I  could  do  it,  but 
can't." 

With  which  emphatic  statement  of  his  inability,  the  Baltimore 
operator  thought  he  had  washed  his  hands  of  the  matter.  Scarce 
ly  had  he  ticked  off  the  last  letters  of  the  concluding  word,  than 
the  reply  came,  evidently  sent  in  much  haste. 

"  Do  it,  somehow,  for  Mr.  Lincoln's  sake  ;  he  is  very  anxious 
about  it — has  just  sent  a  second  messenger  to  enquire  if  themes- 
sage  has  been  received  by  Gen.  Stevenson."  The  heart  of  the 
operator  was  touched  as  he  thought  of  the  man  so  high  in  office 
and  in  the  esteem  of  his  countrymen,  so  busied  with  all  the  man 
ifold  cares  for  the  welfare  of  the  nation,  yet  anxious  about  the 
fate  of  two  deserters  from  the  ranks. 

"  A  private  or  so,  now'and  then,  will  not  count  in  the  news  of 
the  battle  •"  but  the  first  citizen  of  the  Eepublic,  the  Command 
er  of  her  armies  as  well  as  the  guardian  of  her  laws,  thought 
even  of  the  privates. 

Fired  with  new  energy  at  the  thought  of  this,  the  operator 
rapidly  turned  over  in  his  mind  various  means  of  gettingthe  dis 
patch  through  ;  but  of  himself  he  could  do  nothing.  Calling  the 
office  superintendent  to  his  table,  he  briefly  recounted  the  nature 
of  the  messages,  and  urged  from  his  own  heart  the  necessity  of 
getting  the  dispatch  through. 

"  Send  it  to  New  York,"  the  official  directed,  "  and  tell  them 
they  must  get  it  through  to  Wheeling,  and  the  Wheeling  people 
can  get  it  to  Harper's  Ferry  by  way  of  Cumberland  and  Martins- 
burg.  Of  course,  tinder  the  circumstances,  you  must  give  all 
your  time  to  it  until  you  get  it  through." 

The  operator  glanced  at  the  clock ;  it  was  ten  minutes   past 


656  A  Narrow  Escape. 

eleven  ;  scarcely  half  an  hour  remained,  for  time  must  be  allowed 
for  the  messenger  to  reach  the  place  of  execution.  He  hastily 
ticked  off  the  message  to  New  York,  with  a  brief  explanation  of 
the  peculiar  circumstances.  Back  came  the  reply  : 

"The  case  is  hopeless  ;  the  wires  are  crowded  ;  much  of  the 
matter  is,  like  this,  from  the  War  Department,  and  came  before, 
so  it  has  precedence  of  this  message.  Cannot  do  it  now,  but  may 
do  it  late  in  the  afternoon." 

"  That  will  not  do  at  all,"  answered  the  man  at  the  Baltimore 
end  of  the  wire,  "for  the  men  are  to  be  shot  at  noon  to-day  un 
less  this  reaches  Gen.  Stevenson  in  time.  Get  it  through  for  Mr. 
Lincoln's  sake,  as  he  is  very  anxious  about  it." 

That  was  the  chorus  of  this  song  of  the  telegraph  wires.  The 
New  Yorker  saw  at  once  that  all  questions  of  precedence  must 
be  disregarded,  in  this  matter  of  life  and  death  ;  and  telling  the 
Baltimorean  that  he  would  do  his  utmost,  proceeded  to  fulfill  the 
promise.  Eesting  in  this  assurance,  he  of  the  City  of  Monuments 
was  about  to  turn  his  attention  to  those  other  matters  which  he 
had  thrown  aside  when  the  War  Department's  call  came  ;  but  he 
was  again  signaled  by  Washington. 

"  What  about  that  dispatch  to  Harper's  Ferry?  Have  you  got 
it  through  yet?  Why  don't  you  let  us  know  about  it?" 

To  which  Baltimore  replied  : 

"Had  to  send  it  around  by  way  of  New  York;  they  have 
promised  to  do  their  best,  but  I  have  not  heard  from  them  yet." 

"  Let  us  know  the  instant  you  get  an  answer  from  New  York," 
came  from  Washington. 

It  was  twenty  minutes  past  eleven,  and  still  another  inquiry 
had  come  from  the  national  capital.  Baltimore  answered:  "  Wait 
a  minute,"  and  took  the  following  from  New  York  : 

"  Dispatch  got  to  Buffalo,  but  Wheeling  wire  is  down.  It  has 
gone  on  to  Chicago." 

This  was  sent  on  to  Washington,  and  another  pause  of  ten  min 
utes  came. 

"  The  dispatch  is  at  Chicago  ;  they  are  doing  their  best  to  get 
it  to  Wheeling,  but  they're  afraid  of  failure ;  can't  make  the 
Wheeling  man  hear  the  call." 

A  few  anxious  minutes  passed ;  the  operator  at  Chicago  at 
last  succeeded  in  making  Wheeling  answer,  and  sent  the  mes 
sage  onward  ;  but  those  at  New  York,  Baltimore  and  Washing 
ton  were  still  in  the  dark  as  to  the  progress  which  was  being  made. 


658 


A  Narrow  Escape. 


A  Narrow  Escape.  659 

At  last,  after  what  seemed  an  hour  of  anxious  waiting,  but  in 
reality  was  not  ten  full  minutes  since  Baltimore  had  received 
and  forwarded  the  news  of  Chicago's  difficulty,  the  word  flashed 
around  that  wide  circuit. 

"  The  dispatch  has  reached  Wheeling,  and  the  operator  there 
says  he  can  get  it  through  to  Harper's  Ferry  in  time." 

Then  the  messenger  at  the  Washington  offi,ce  hurried  off  to 
reassure  the  President,  and  the  operators,  one  and  all,  resum 
ed  the  work  which  this  effort  had  interrupted.  While  all  this 
had  been  going  on,  and  those  solemn  preparations  on  Bolivar 
Heights  had  been  going  forward,  an  orderly,  booted  and  spur 
red,  had  been  pacing  the  rude  plank  platform  in  front  of  the 
telegraph  office  at  Harper's  Ferry.  Near  him  stood  his  horse, 
one  of  the  best  to  be  found  in  the  number  of  Government  ani 
mals  at  that  place;  for  Gen.  Stevenson  had  expected  this  re 
prieve,  and  fearful  of  a  fatal  delay,  had  sent  this  orderly,  as  a 
more  expeditious  messenger  than  those  usually  employed. 

The  soldier  looked  often  and  anxiously  at  the  clock,  and  his 
face  grew  grave  as  the  minute-hand  traveled  around  the  dial.  It 
was  ten  minutes  of  twelve  when  the  operator  called  out  to  him 
that  he  had  better  be  ready.  The  telegrapher  had  heard  the 
name  of  the  commandant  of  the  post  ticked  off.  The  orderly 
sprang  into  his  saddle,  the  operator  wrote  out  the  message  as 
rapidly  as  even  the  most  expert  of  his  calling  could  have  done, 
and  jumping  from  his  seat,  ran  to  the  door  and  tossed  the  yel 
low  envelope  into  the  soldier's  outstretched  hand.  Hardly  has 
he  grasped  it,  when  a  cut  of  his  whip  sends  his  horse  bounding 
along  the  road  to  the  hillside. 

"  At  each  bound  he  could  feel  the  scabbard  of  steel 
Smiting  his  stallion's  flanks." 

Will  he  be  in  time?  He  hardly  dares  ask  himself  the  ques 
tion,  lest,  thinking  for  one  instant  of  other  things  than  the  speed 
at  which  he  is  traveling,  his  horse  be  allowed  to  slacken  his 
pace,  though  ever  so  little.  As  he  rides  up  the  slope,  he  rises  in 
his  stirrups  and  shouts  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  waving  the  yellow 
envelope  above  his  head.  If  he  can  but  make  them  hear  or  see 
him,  he  will  be  in  time,  for  he  has  not  yet  heard  the  crack  of 
the  carbines. 

But  the  crowd  around  the  place  of  execution  is  deaf  and  blind 
to  all  but  that  which  is  directly  before  them;  they  are  waiting 
with  that  curious  desire  to  witness  the  horrible,  for  the  very 
42 


660  A  Narrow  Escape. 

sound  which  the  orderly  dreads.  The  firing  party  have  their 
arms  ready,  and  await  only  the  one  word  which  their  command 
ing  officer  is  about  to  utter.  Just  at  this  moment  Gen.  Steven 
son  makes  a  warning  gesture;  the  word,  "  Fire  \"  that  else 
would  have  completed  the  lieutenant's  orders,  is  never  spoken; 
for  the  ranks  part  to  admit  the  orderly,  who,  with  a  light  heart, 
but  with  too  much  respect  for  military  decorum  to  wear  a  smil 
ing  face,  hands  the  yellow  envelope  to  his  commanding  officer. 

The  news  was  told  to  the  condemned  men,  and  soldiers  and 
civilians  looked  on  with  curious  eyes.  The  elder  man  gave  no 
sign,  but  rose  with  dogged  sullenness,  as  if  life  or  death  were  all 
the  same  to  him;  the  youth  looked  around  him  for  an  instant  as 
the  bandage  was  removed  from  his  eyes;  then,  burying  his  face 
in  his  hands,  burst  into  uncontrollable  tears. 

Then  the  soldiers  reformed  in  marching  order,  and  returned 
to  camp,  the  reprieved  men  still  under  guard.  But  before  long, 
a  second  message  to  Gren.  Stevenson,  duly  provided  with  the 
necessary  amount  of  red  tape  and  superfluous  words,  and  sent 
by  mail,  informed  him  that  the  deserters  sentenced  to  be  shot 
on  the  twenty-fourth  of  February,  but  reprieved  by  the  Presi 
dent,  were  granted  a  full  and  unconditional  pardon,  with  restor 
ation  to  their  former  company.  They  never  deserted  again. 


DETERMINED  TO  ESCAPE, 

A  Spirited  Engagement — A  Victory  Barren  of  Trophies — Disposition  of  the  Prison 
ers—Prison  Pastimes — Base  Ball — "Opinions  of  the  Press" — Better  Sport — 
Efforts  to  Escape — Tunneling — Failure — A  Drunken  Driver — Almost  Free — 
Recaptured — A  Daring  Plan — Scaling  the  Parapet — He  Escapes — Almost  in 
Canada — Retaken  by  Farmers— Spirit  Broken — Spirit  Gets  Mended— Busy  at 
Work— A  Wonderful  Achievement—"  An  Escape  Planned  "—Guards  Doubled 
— Strict  Examination — Review  of  Inspecting  Party — Discovery  of  Prisoner 
Among  Them — A  Sensible  and  Generous  Officer — Remanded  to  Prison  — 
How  He  Was  Freed. 

A  FTEK  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  the  Confederate  forces  re- 
/\  treated  to  Virginia,  closely  pursued  by  the  victorious 
Federals.  Several  months  passed,  and  the  great  Virginian  had 
so  far  retrieved  his  losses  that,  early  in  November,  1863,  he  was 
able  to  turn  upon  Gen.  Meade,  and  drive  him  back  across  the 
Rapidan.  But  a  portion  of  the  Federal  army  was  ordered  to  ad 
vance,  as  the  main  force  halted;  it  did  so,  and  attacked  a  Con 
federate  brigade  which  had  been  stationed  north  of  the  Rappa- 
hanno.ck.  The  assailing  force  numbered  ten  to  one  of  those  at 
tacked;  and  though  the  gallant  Louisianians  fought  with  all  the 
fury  of  their  Southern  blood,  the  odds  were  too  great.  Cut  off 
from  their  own  pontoon  bridge,  a  few  escaped  by  swimming  the 
icy  stream;  others  died  in  the  attempt;  many  more  fell  on  the 
field  ;  and  as  night  closed  around  them,  the  remnant  of  the  brig 
ade  felt  that  the  case  was  indeed  a  hopeless  one. 

They  had  fought  bravely,  and  had  not  yielded  until  the  last 
moment;  yet,  in  giving  up,  each  man  was  actuated  by  a  grim  re 
solve  that  the  victory,  dearly  bought  as  it  was,  should  afford  but 
few  trophies  to  the  enemy.  The  color-bearer  of  one  regiment 
tore  the  battle-flag  from  the  staff  and  thrust  it  into  the  bosom  of 

661 


662 


Determined  to  Escape. 


his  overshirt,  then  yielded  up  the  bare  staff.  One  young  officer, 
on  being  summoned  to  surrender  his  sword,  broke  it  across 
his  knee  and  handed  the  hilt  to  his  antagonist.  What  became 
of  the  broken  blade  is  not  recorded  ;  but  the  battle-flag,  hastily 
removed  from  its  place  of  concealment,  was,  by  the  advice  of 
several  officers,  committed  to  the  camp-fire  around  which  the 
prisoners  were  grouped;  and  was  thus  saved  from  falling  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

On  the  morning  after  their  capture,  the  prisoners  were  trans- 


Old  Capitol  Prison. 

ferred  from  this  camp  to  the  Old  Capitol  Prison,  where  they  re 
mained  three  days  ;  at  the  expiration  of  that  time,  the  officers 
were  sent  to  Johnson's  Island  and  the  privates  to  Point  Lookout. 
It  is  at  this  stage  of  the  proceedings  that  our  story  properly  be 
gins;  the  scene  being  laid  in  that  famous  military  prison  near 
Sandusky,  Ohio;  and  the  hero,  the  same  young  officer  who  had 
broken  his  sword  before  giving  it  up — Lieut.  C.  H.  Pierce,  of 
the  Seventh  Louisiana. 

Arrived  at  Johnson'  Island,  they  were  all,  of  course,  in  the 
slough  of  despond  for  many  days  ;  but  most  of  them  were  young, 
and  of  a  fun-loving,  make-the-best-of-it  disposition,  and  they  soon 


Determined  to  Escape.  663 

engaged  in  various  plans  for  killing  time.  Many  and  various 
were  the  means  adopt&d;  but  none  combined  the  advantages  of 
vigorous  out-door  exercise  and  keen  competition  so  well  as  base 
ball.  What  is  now  the  "National  Game"  had  come  into  promi 
nence  some  twenty  years  before  the  time  of  which  we  write,  but 
had  sunk  into  insignificance  besides  that  "iron  game"  which  was 
being  played  between  North  and  South.  The  playing  of  the  pris 
oners,  then,  attracted  much  more  attention  from  the  people  of 
Sandusky  than  it  would  have  done  had  the  game  been  more  fre 
quently  seen;  and  when  the  final  match  between  the  "Confeder 
ates"  and  the  "Southrons"  was  played,  fully  three  thousand  per 
sons  were  present  to  behold  the  victory  of  the  gallant  "South 
rons." 

The  prison  authorities  had  feared  that  the  zeal  of  the  prison 
ers  for  the  sport  might  be  merely  a  blind,  to  enable  them  to  es 
cape;  and  whenever  a  game  was  played,  extra  guards  were  on 
duty.  On  this  last  occasion,  the  slides  of  the  port-holes  were 
drawn  back,  and  the  guns  were  made  ready  for  instant  use,  in 
case  the  players  should  make  a  run  for  the  "home  base."  But 
the  precautions  proved  needless,  for  nothing  of  the  kind  was  at 
tempted.  The  commandant  of  the  post,  however,  was  severely 
censured  by  the  more  violent  newspapers  for  allowing  the  pris 
oners  so  much  liberty;  the  torrents  of  denunciation  reached 
Washington,  and  he  was  removed,  to  make  room  for  a  more  vig 
orous  disciplinarian. 

Even  had  it  not  been  made  thus  impossible,  base  ball  had  lost 
its  charms  in  the  eyes  of  men  who  longed  only  for  freedom,  and 
who  merely  engaged  in  these  pastimes  to  keep  from  feeling  the 
pressure  of  their  chains.  All  of  the  recreations  possible  to  pris 
oners  were  tried,  practiced  for  a  time,  and  then  thrown  aside  in 
disgust.  Only  one  occupation  retained,  throughout,  the  charm 
which  at  first  invested  it,  and  that  was  the  laying  of  plans  to  es 
cape.  Chief  among  those  who  indulged  in  this  pastime  was 
Lieut.  Pierce,  whose  untiring  efforts  we  would  here  relate. 

The  first  mode  of  escape  that  suggests  itself  to  men  weary  of 
prison  life  is  a  tunnel,  extending  from  their  cells  to  some  point 
beyond  the  walls.  It  was  this  means,  then,  that  Pierce  and 
some  of  his  companions  in  misfortune  resolved  to  adopt.  A  tun 
nel  was  begun  from  a  cell  carefully  selected  as  affording  excel 
lent  opportunities  for  concealing  the  work  ;  but  the  proposed 
route  was  found  to  be  too  long.  The  work  was  carefully  un- 


Determined  to  Escape. 

done,  then,  and  another  point  selected  as  the  the  inner  opening 
of  the  tunnel.  But  this  second  cell  was  lighter  and  more  public 
than  the  first,  which  was  so  dark  that  nothing  but  a  thorough 
search  would  have  revealed  the  excavations.  The  project  was 
suspected,  and  only  a  few  hours  before  they  were  to  attempt 
that  for  which  they  had  worked  so  long,  the  whole  affair  was 
discovered.  Thus  ended  their  first  attempt.  The  participators 
were  of  course  punished  by  the  withdrawal,  for  a  time,  of  all  the 
privileges  allowed;  the  strength  of  the  guard  was  increased; 
inspections  were  more  frequent  and  thorough  than  ever;  and  the 
prisoners  began  to  think  that  an  opportunity  for  escape  would 
never  occur  again. 

Not  so,  however,  with  our  hero.  Failure  was  to  him  no  more 
than  a  warning  that  he  must  succeed  next  time;  and  he  occupied 
the  long  and  weary  days  which  he  spent  in  the  dungeon,  not  in 
repenting  of  his  attempt,  nor  even  in  lamenting  its  failure,  but 
in  thinking  out  some  other  plan  which,  on  his  return  to  the  or 
dinary  cell,  he  might  put  into  practice.  But  even  his  busy  brain 
could  suggest  none  that  seemed  likely  to  be  any  more  success 
ful  than  the  last. 

Some  weeks  passed  on,  and  our  friends  of  the  tunnel  affair 
were  released  from  "durance  vile"  in  the  cells  reserved  for  pun 
ishment  of  offenders,  and  restored  to  the  privileges  which  their 
less  venturesome  companions  enjoyed.  The  scare  was  over,  and 
the  prison  officials  had  settled  down  to  a  course  less  laborious 
than  the  great  vigilance  at  first  exercised,  but  still  by  no  means 
a  careless  way  of  attending  to  their  duties.  It  was  merely  an 
accident,  for  which,  of  course,  his  superiors  were  in  no  way  to 
blame,  that  the  soldier  who  drove  the  offal  cart  was  one  morn 
ing  so  intoxicated  that  he  could  hardly  keep  his  seat.  Lieut. 
Pierce  watched  him  as,  with  drunken  gravity,  he  endeavored  to 
sit  very  erect  and  drive  very  straight;  and  he  at  once  saw  that 
here  was  an  opportunity  for  another  attempt. 

Fortunately  for  the  Confederate's  plans,  the  work  of  loading 
up  the  cart  occupied  some  little  time ;  and  the  driver,  dismount 
ing  from  his  perch,  was  soon  fast  asleep  on  one  of  the  wooden 
benches  which  adorned  the  prison-yard.  If  a  drunken  man  once 
fall  asleep,  what  can  awaken  him  before  that  intolerable  thirst 
begins?  At  any  rate,  it  seemed  as  if  nothing  could  rouse  this 
one;  for  not  even  when  Lieut.  Pierce  removed  his  overcoat  did 
he  gtir.  His  cap  had  fallen  from  his  head,  and  lay  on  the  ground 


Determined  to  Escape. 


665 


beside  him.  Hastily  donning  both  overcoat  and  cap,  the  Con 
federate  mounted  the  cart,  and  took  possession  of  the  lines.  His 
impromptu  disguise  deceived  the  sentinels  stationed  at  the  gate, 
and  he  drove  onward  with  much  outward  unconcern  and  much 
inward  rejoicing. 

He  had  passed  the  parapet,  and  was  beginning  to  think  that 
he  was  to  regain  his  freedom.  But  he  had  not  been  able  to  re 
move  the  traces  of  his  escape.  It  required  no  great  vigilance  on 


Changing  Clothes  with  the  Drunken  Soldier. 

the  part  of  the  guard  to  discover  the  drunken  driver  asleep  on 
the  settee;  and  the  find  immediately  suggested  the  question: 
Who  had  taken  his  place  and  driven  the  cart  out?  It  must  be 
one  of  the  prisoners,  and  the  hue  and  cry  was  raised  at  once.  A 
squad  was  sent  in  pursuit;  the  fugitive  was  recaptured,  and 
taken  back  to  the  dungeon  from  which  he  had  so  recently  been 
released  ;  and  thus  ended  the  second  attempt. 

Hardly  had  his  term  of  solitary  confinement  expired,  than  he 
began  to  think  of  some  other  plan  ;  but  it  seemed  as  if  the  guards 
were  more  than  doubly  watchful  of  all  the  prisoners,  and  be 
stowed  especial  attention  on  him.  Indeed,  the  fact  that  he  had 


tj6')  Determined  to  Escape. 

planned  two  attempts  to  escape,  both  of  which  were  so  nearly 
successful,  made  every  movement  suspicious,  and  for  along  time 
no  opportunity  presented  itself. 

Among  the  more  daring  and  venturesome  spirits  confined  on 
Johnson's  Island  were  two  young  officers,  Lieut.  Wheeler,  of 
Morgan's  Cavalry,  and  Lieut.  Bowles,  a  cousin  of  Lieut.  Pierce 
and  a  member  of  the  same  regiment.  In  these  two  he  found  as  ar 
dent  a  desire  to  escape  as  that  which  animated  him,  and  after 
much  discussion  of  possibilities,  they  hit  upon  a  plan.  Their 
games  of  base  ball  in  the  preceding  spring  had  revived  and  per 
fected  their  old  boyish  skill  in  throwing;  and  they  now  pro 
posed  to  scale  the  parapet  and  attack  the  sentinels  with  stones, 
since  they  had  no  other  weapons.  Scaling  ladders  were  accord 
ingly  made  as  speedily  and  secretly  as  possible ;  a  single  pistol 
was  obtained  by  some  mysterious  means,  and  lots  being  drawn 
for  its  possession,  it  fell  to  Lieut.  Wheeler. 

Some  twelve  miles  from  Johnson's  Island  there  is  a  strip  of 
land,  marshy  and  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  trees,  which 
extends  to  the  Canada  side.  It  was  now  midwinter,  and  the 
lake  was  frozen  over  hard  enough  for  them  to  reach  this  strip 
of  land,  whence  they  could  get  to  the  Canadian  woods.  Once  in 
the  dominions  of  Queen  Victoria,  they  hoped  to  find  that  shel 
ter  and  protection  which,  it  was  said  at  the  time,  her  subjects 
were  always  ready  to  give  to  Southerners. 

The  ladders  were  made,  and  put  in  position.  Pierce  was  the  first 
to  reach  the  top  of  the  parapet,  and  a  well-aimed  stone  from  his 
hand  laid  the  nearest  sentinel  senseless  on  the  ground.  But  they 
were  seen  by  more  than  one;  and  as  Bowies'  head  was  seen 
above  the  wall,  another  Federal  took  hasty  but  well-directed 
aim.  He  fell  backward  with  a  groan. 

"I'm  killed,  Charley,"  he  exclaimed,  as  Pierce  turned  to  see 
why  he  had  fallen;  "but  push  on  and  leave  me  to  my  fate.  God 
speed  you." 

The  words,  faintly  spoken  as  they  were,  reached  the  man  to 
whom  they  were  addressed ;  and  as  the  prayer  was  uttered,  the 
speaker's  life  ebbed  away.  In  the  meantime,  Pierce  being  shel 
tered  by  the  wall  as  he  leaned  towards  his  cousin,  Wheeler  and 
the  sentinel  had  exchanged  shots;  but  neither  took  effect;  and 
the  Confederate,  having  expended  his  one  load,  was  forced  to 
retreat  down  his  ladder  to  captivity  again.  Not  so  with  his 
companion.  Pierce  dashed  past  the  sentinel  before  he  had  time 


Determined  to  Escape. 


667 


to  reload,  and  was  soon  lar  away  upon  the  ice.  The  strip  of  land 
was  gained,  and,  plunging  into  the  woods,  he  directed  his  steps 
towards  Canada. 

In  the  meantime,  the  sentinel,  thinking  it  would  be  useless  to 
pursue  such  a  fleet-footed  fugitive,  gave  the  alarm  to  the  corpo 
ral  of  the  guard,  and  efforts  were  at  once  made  to  recapture  the 
escaped  prisoner.  Signal-guns,  indicating  to  every  one  around 
the  fort  what  was  the  state  of  affairs,  were  fired  at  certain  inter- 


Stoning  the  Guard. 

vals;  while  they  endeavored  to  break  the  ice  by  means  of  solid 
shot.  Pierce  heard  the  boom  of  the  guns,  and  hastened  onward. 
All  night  long  he  journeyed  through  the  thick  darkness  of  the 
forest,  able  to  direct  his  course  only  by  occasional  glimpses  of 
the  stars.  Soon  the  Canadian  shore  would  be  reached,  and  he 
would  be  safe. 

A  heavy  reward  was  offered  for  the  apprehension  of -any  es 
caped  prisoner;  and  whenever  the  signal-guns  at  the  fort  indi 
cated  that  this  reward  was  to  be  earned,  the  farmers  in  the  neigh 
borhood  turned  out  in  force.  So  they  did  on- this  occasion  ;  and 
armed  with  muskets,  scoured  the  woods  far  and  near.  Although 
physically  they  had  much  the  advantage  of  the  man  who  was 
worn  down  by  more  than  a  year  of  prison  life,  yet  his  desire  for 


668  Determined  to  Escape. 

freedom  added  so  much  to  his  natural  speed  and  endurance,  that, 
although  they  set  out  almost  the  instant  the  warning  was  given, 
they  sought  him  in  vain  all  night.  Daylight  came,  and  just  as 
the  prisoner  began  to  think  that  by  keeping  up  this  rate  of  speed 
two  or  three  hours  longer,  he  would  have  so  distanced  his  pur 
suers  as  to  make  it  possible  for  him  to  rest,  he  found  himself 
surrounded  by  the  armed  farmers. 

Defenseless  as  he  was,  he  could  do  nothing  but  surrender, 
though  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  intense  humiliation  that  he  gave 
himself  up  to  civilians ;  to  have  been  recaptured  by  soldiers  would 
not  have  been  half  so  bad.  But  no  matter  by  whom  retaken,  back 
to  the  island  he  must  go  ;  and  thus  ended  attempt  the  third. 

Three  times  he  had  been  very  near  success,  and  had  been  re 
captured.  But,  as  we  have  seen,  failure  only  inspired  him  to 
new  and  more  ingenious  efforts.  This  time,  however,  it  seemed 
to  his  captors  that  his  spirit  was  completely  broken;  he  had  no 
longer  the  energy  to  attempt  such  a  thing  again,  even  if  the  strict 
watch  they  kept  upon  him  had  permitted  it.  They  thought  that 
he  had  despaired  of  freedom  until  released  by  the  ordinary 
course  of  events,  in  the  case  of  prisoners  of  war,  or  until 

"The  terms  of  his  cartel  his  God  had  arranged, 
And  the  victim  of  prisons  at  last  been  exchanged." 

But  if  the  prison  officials  felt  any  pity  in  their  hard  hearts  for 
the  daring  youth  who  seemed  to  be  so  crushed  by  his  repeated 
failures,  it  was  wasted  upon  an  unworthy  object.  His  melan 
choly  demeanor  was  assumed  as  a  blind,  and  intended  to  de 
ceive,  not  only  the  Federal  authorities,  but  his  own  comrades; 
lest  the  interest  of  the  latter  in  his  work  might  arouse  the  sus 
picion  of  the  guards.  For  when  they  thought  that  Lieut.  Pierce 
was  moping  in  his  cell,  he  was  busily  at  work  on  a  certain  arti 
cle,  the  construction  of  which  occupied  every  available  moment 
for  full  five  months. 

Of  course  the  secret  could  not  be  kept  from  all,  and  his  more 
intimate  friends,  in  the  course  of  time,  became  aware  of  the  plan 
which  he  had  formed.  Day  after  day  they  watched  the  progress 
of  the  work  with  the  keenest  interest;  interest  only  increased 
by  the  necessity  of  concealing  it  from  the  guards,  who  were  al 
ways  ready  to  suspect  Pierce,  even  though  he  appeared  so  des 
pondent.  Slowly,  under  the  rude  and  clumsy  tools  so  skillfully 
wielded  by  his  patient  hands,  a  piece  of  the  rough  wood  that  was 
so  plentiful  about  the  prison  grew  into  the  shape  of  a  gunstock; 


Determined  to  Escape.  669 

a  piece  of  the  handle  of  a  camp-kettle  was  fashioned  into  a  lock; 
the  tin  fruit  cans,  the  contents  of  which  had  heen  used  in  the 
hospital,  were  made  into  the  barrel  and  guard.  A  rusty  bayo 
net  was  a  prize  of  inestimable  value  that  chanced  to  fall  in 
his  way ;  and  diligent  rubbing  soon  restored  it  to  its  original 
shining  splendor. 

How  he  stained  the  white  wood  so  that  it  closely  resembled 
the  ordinary  stock  is  still  unknown;  nor  is  it  recorded  how  he 
obtained  a  complete  uniform  of  blue  cloth.  But  both  ends  were 
accomplished,  and  early  in  the  spring  of  1865  he  was  ready  for 
the  fourth  attempt  to  escape  "from  his  dire  prison  house,  by 
Erie's  bleak  shore."  One  of  his  friends,  Lieut.  Michael  Long, 
was  to  assist  him.  It  was  necessary  that  the  guard  should  be 
changed  at  night,  that  in  the  confusion  resulting  from  an  unusu 
al  movement,  he  might  be  able  to  accomplish  the  first  part  of 
his  plan  unobserved.  Accordingly,  Lieut.  Long  "interviewed" 
the  guard  under  whose  special  charge  they  were,  and  with  many 
requests  that  the  Federal  would  not  let  the  prisoners  suspect 
who  had  given  the  information,  divulged  the  important  secret 
that  there  was  to  be  an  attempt  to  escape  made  in  Block  Eight 
that  night. 

The  informer  was  warmly  thanked,  and  the  corporal  of  the 
guard  summoned.  But  he  judged  it  a  matter  too  important  for 
him  to  assume  responsibility,  and  submitted  the  case  to  the  offi 
cer  of  the  guard.  Every  precaution  was  at  once  taken  to  pre 
vent  the  success  of  the  attempt;  a  double  guard  was  ordered 
out  for  the  night,  and  just  at  sunset  a  party  of  inspection  made 
the  rounds.  Every  cell  was  closely  scrutinized,  but  no  evidence 
Of  a  tunnel  or  other  mode  of  escape  was  found.  The  inspecting 
party  fell  into  line,  and  marched  out  of  the  prison  yard. 

They  had  seen  no  evidence  of  an  attempt  to  escape;  they  did 
not  dream  that  it  was  being  made  before  their  very  eyes.  As 
they  reformed  after  the  inspection,  one  of  the  blue-coated  sol 
diers  that  fell  into  line  had  been  better  used  to  wearing  a  gray 
uniform;  and  his  musket  had  been  fabricated  by  his  own  cunning 
fingers.  It  was,  in  fact,  no  other  than  our  friend  Lieut.  Pierce,  and 
all  this  alarm  about  an  escape  to  be  attempted  was  a  part  of  his 
plot  to  get  away  from  Johnson's  Island.  Long's  information 
was  true,  but  the  Federals  did  not  understand  it  any  better  than 
he  had  intended  that  they  should. 

The  inspecting  party  marched  out  of  the  prison  yard,  and  at 


670  Determined  to  Escape. 

the  word  of  command,  halted  and  faced  about,  to  be  themselves 
inspected.  The  lieutenant  in  command  ran  his  keen  eye  over 
the  line  of  men  standing  bolt  upright  before  him. 

"Where's  your  cartridge-box,  sir?"  he  demanded  of  one, 
sternly. 

"I — I — the  fact  is,  sir,  we  fell  in  so  suddenly,  I  forgot  it," 
stammered  the  delinquent,  with  more  real  regret  that  he  had  for 
gotten  it  than  ever  was  felt  before  by  soldier  who  had  offended 
in  a  similar  manner. 


"Where's  your  cartridge  box?" 

"A  pretty  soldier  you  are  !  Suppose  the  Eebels  were  to  at 
tack  us  now?"  (Delinquent  sincerely  wished  they  would,  but 
managed  to  look  very  much  alarmed.)  "Let  me  see  your  gun." 

Pierce  drew  himself  up  to  his  full  height,  perhaps  to  counter 
act  the  sinking  of  his  heart,  and  presented  the  weapon  in  due 
form.  He  knew  that  he  had  been  detected,  or,  rather,  would  be 
as  soon  as  the  Federal  had  felt  the  weight  of  his  gun;  he  knew 
too,  that  it  was  simply  from  having  forgotten  to  make  an  article 
which  presented  not  a  tenth  of  the  difficulties  he  had  overcome 
in  the  case  of  the  gun.  He  had  surmounted  the  great  obstacles, 


Determined  to  Escape.  671 

but  had  stumbled  and  fallen  over  the  very  least  that  could  have 
been  presented. 

The  Federal  lieutenant  detected  the  true  state  of  affairs  as 
soon  as  he  took  the  sham  gun  in  his  hands,  for  it  was  of  course 
very  much  lighter  than  the  regulation  weapon.  The  prisoner 
was  taken  before  Col.  Charles  W.  Hill,  of  the  112th  Ohio,  and  to 
that  officer  the  particulars  of  the  attempt  were  recounted.  For 
tunately  for  Lieut.  Pierce,  the  colonel  was  a  man  whose  good 
sense  and  native  generosity  had  not  been  overcome  by  partisan 
feeling.  He  of  course  took  possession  of  the  blue  uniform  and 
the  gun,  for  that  was  no  more  than  his  duty  demanded  ;  but  he 
recognized  the  right  of  a  prisoner  to  escape  if  he  can  elude  or 
outwit  his  guards,  and  did  not  subject  him  to  any  of  the  punish 
ments  which  in  military  prisons  so  often  rewarded  unsuccessful 
efforts  to  regain  liberty.  He  even  complimented  the  Confeder 
ate  on  the  ingenuity  of  his  plans  and  £is  patience  and  skill  in 
carrying  them  out;  but  compliments,  even  from  an  enemy's 
lips,  were  but  poor  consolation  for  the  failure  of  the  plan  for 
which  he  had  worked  so  long  and  from  which  he  had  hoped  so 
much. 

So  sure  were  his  comrades  that  he  would  succeed,  that  they 
fixed  his  bunk  to  look  as  if  he  were  covered  up  in  it,  and  were 
ready  to  answer,  at  roll-call  the  next  morning,  that  he  was  sick; 
this  course  being  intended  to  conceal  his  escape  long  enough  to 
give  him  a  good  start.  But  he  was  there  to  answer  for  himself; 
and  thus  ended  the  fourth  attempt. 

It  was  the  last;  for  soon  after  came  the  news  that  Lee  had 
surrendered;  then,  that  his  subordinates,  in  various  parts  of  the 
South,  had  laid  down  their  arms,  and  the  Confederacy  was  dead. 
The  men  confined  in  the  various  military  prisons  were  benumb 
ed  by  the  news.  That  which  they  had  feared  had  come  to  pass, 
and  even  when  liberated,  they  could  do  no  more  for  the  cause 
to  which  they  had  sworn  allegiance.  There  was  now  no 
reason  why  any  of  them  should  attempt  to  escape;  yet  a  little 
while  longer,  and  they  should  be  duly  released.  Even  Lieut. 
Pierce  made  no  further  effort,  but  waited,  with  as  much  patience 
as  he  could  command,  until  the  order  came  for  officers  of  his 
rank  to  be  paroled  and  released. 

The  gun,  which  was  so  close  an  imitation  of  the  real  article,  is 
still  in  existence,  and  is  said,  by  those  who  have  seen  it,  to  be  a 
marvel  of  workmanship,  when  the  tools  and  materials  are  con- 


672  Determined  to  Escape. 

sidered.  Originally  placed  in  the  archives  of  the  State  of  Ohio, 
it  was  subsequently  claimed  by  the  maker's  relatives,  and  by 
them  presented,  if  we  mistake  not,  to  the  Southern  Historical 
Society,  in  whose  possession  it  still  remains. 

The  story,  as  it  reaches  us,  is  told  by  other  persons  than  the 
one  directly  concerned,  and  thus  lacks  many  details  which  could 
be  supplied  by  no  one  else;  but  his  death  occurred  so  soon  after 
the  War  (1867)  that  the  time  had  not  come  to  tell  the  story  5  he 
judged  that  it  was  the  duty  of  each  soldier  to  return  wholly  to 
the  pursuits  of  peace,  leaving  the  memories  of  the  War  until 
they  should  be  softened  by  time. 


/£> 


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